Display options
Cite
Fitzgerald PJ. Testing whether drugs that weaken norepinephrine signaling prevent or treat various types of cancer. Clin Epidemiol. 2010;2:1-3
Fitzgerald, P. J. (2010). Testing whether drugs that weaken norepinephrine signaling prevent or treat various types of cancer. Clinical epidemiology, 21-3.
Fitzgerald, Paul J. "Testing whether drugs that weaken norepinephrine signaling prevent or treat various types of cancer." Clinical epidemiology vol. 2 (2010): 1-3.
Fitzgerald PJ. Testing whether drugs that weaken norepinephrine signaling prevent or treat various types of cancer. Clin Epidemiol. 2010 Aug 09;2:1-3. PMID: 20865096; PMCID: PMC2943186.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Clin Epidemiol. 2010 Aug 09;2:1-3.

Testing whether drugs that weaken norepinephrine signaling prevent or treat various types of cancer.

Clinical epidemiology

Paul J Fitzgerald

Affiliations

  1. The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Solomon H. Snyder, Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

PMID: 20865096 PMCID: PMC2943186

Abstract

Recently, I put forth the hypothesis that the signaling molecule, norepinephrine (NE), is an etiological factor in a number of types of cancer. In this brief commentary, I summarize evidence that NE plays a role in cancer and describe details involved in testing the hypothesis in humans through epidemiological investigation of existing medical records of persons who have taken pharmaceutical drugs that affect NE. If NE plays an etiological role in cancers of a number of organs, then taking a single pharmaceutical drug (such as clonidine, prazosin, or propranolol) that weakens NE signaling systemically, may simultaneously prevent or treat many different types of cancer, and this may represent a breakthrough in pharmaceutical prevention and possibly treatment of cancer.

Keywords: acetylcholine; cancer; clonidine; norepinephrine; prazosin; propranolol

References

  1. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2008;11(1):53-60 - PubMed
  2. Int J Cancer. 2009 Jan 15;124(2):257-63 - PubMed
  3. Cancer Res. 1989 Oct 1;49(19):5254-7 - PubMed
  4. Br J Cancer. 2002 Jan 7;86(1):92-7 - PubMed
  5. J Urol. 2007 Nov;178(5):2176-80 - PubMed
  6. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2006 Oct;15(10):689-97 - PubMed
  7. Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique. 2004 Feb;52(1):53-65 - PubMed
  8. Biull Eksp Biol Med. 1977 Apr;83(4):455-8 - PubMed
  9. J Clin Psychiatry. 2003 Oct;64(10):1153-62 - PubMed
  10. Cancer Causes Control. 2004 Aug;15(6):535-41 - PubMed

Publication Types