STUDY SHOWS PROMISE OF NITROGLYCERIN IN LUNG CANCER TREATMENT

Researchers from Japan have reported that the use of nitroglycerin combined with Navelbine (vinorelbine) and Platinol (cisplatin) may improve response rates and time to tumor progression in patients with Stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Researchers observed that patients with lung cancer receiving nitroglycerin for angina pectoris appeared to have better responses to chemotherapy than patients not receiving nitroglycerin. They postulated that nitroglycerin was improving tumor oxygenation resulting in an improvement in chemotherapy responses. They then carried out a randomized trial of four cycles of Navelbine and Platinol with and without nitroglycerin in 120 patients with Stage IIIB/IV NSCLC.