Dec 4, 2023

0 Doctors may be able to improve outcomes for patients with head and throat cancers simply by injecting lidocaine, a common local anesthetic, near the site of their tumors, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania. The background: Cells on the surface of your taste buds express proteins called bitter taste receptors (T2R). When you eat something bitter, it activates these proteins, causing them to trigger nerves that send signals to your brain that give you the sensation of taste. However, your mouth isn’t the only place you’ll find T2Rs. Cells in the heart, lungs, brain, and other tissues also produce proteins (for reasons that are not entirely clear), as do various cancer cells. “We know lidocaine is safe, we are comfortable using it, and it is readily available.” Ryan Carey What’s new? In 2022, Penn scientists discovered that many head and neck cancers contain T2Rs and that activating the proteins with bitter compounds triggers cell death. They also identified an association between increased T2R expression and better patient outcomes. In a new study, they reveal that lidocaine can activate T2R14 – a bitter taste receptor found at high levels in many cancer cells – leading to cell death. “As a head and neck surgeon, we use lidocaine all the time,” said co-principal investigator Ryan Carey. “We know that lidocaine is safe, we are comfortable using it and it is readily available, which means it could be integrated quite seamlessly into other aspects of breast cancer care. head and neck.” The big picture: Lidocaine was already suspected of benefiting cancer patients before this study, but researchers weren’t sure why or how it seemed to help. Penn’s study not only reveals that the drug activates T2R14 to trigger cell death, but also identifies two mechanisms that enable this activation: mitochondrial calcium ion overload and proteasome inhibition. “While we are not suggesting that lidocaine can cure cancer… it could provide an advantage to the treatment of head and neck cancer.” Ryan Carey This better understanding of the process could lead to new cancer treatments and pave the way for clinical trials in which the anesthetic is administered alongside standard cancer therapies. “While we are not suggesting that lidocaine could cure cancer, we are galvanized by the possibility that it could provide an advantage in the treatment of head and neck cancer and move the process forward in terms of improving outcomes. treatment options for patients with this difficult form. cancer,” Carey said. We would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this article or have a tip for a future Freethink story, please email us at tips@freethink.com. Gn Health