Medical expert of the article
New publications
A well-known drug for alcoholism has anti-tumor properties
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Scientists have known for a long time that the well-known anti-alcoholism drug Disulfiram has an anti-cancer effect. But only now have they been able to clearly describe the chemotherapeutic mechanism of action of this drug.
The latest research has identified all stages of the toxic effect of Disulfiram on tumor cells.
The work was carried out with the participation of an international group of specialists led by Jiri Bartek, representing the Danish Tumor Research Centre (Copenhagen).
Disulfiram is an active ingredient in such common drugs as Teturam, Antabuse, Esperal. It has been used for many decades in the treatment of chronic alcoholism. The drug triggers a kind of antabuse process, due to which a stable aversion to alcohol arises. Previous studies have shown that this drug has pronounced anticancer activity. However, scientists could not transfer the drug to the category of antitumor agents, since the mechanisms of such activity were not officially presented.
As Professor Bartek points out, Disulfiram is an inexpensive and accessible drug, and therefore could be used in the treatment of malignant tumors in many underdeveloped countries.
WHO experts note that, according to forecasts, over the next twenty years, the incidence of cancer will increase by 70%. Malignant tumors are already recognized as the second cause of death after cardiovascular diseases.
The creation and testing of new anti-cancer drugs is extremely expensive and takes many years, so the discovery of an alternative and previously studied drug can be a timely find for doctors.
Scientists conducted a systematic epidemiological experiment involving more than three thousand Danish residents. The experiment showed that taking Disulfiram significantly extended the lives of cancer patients.
The study looked at data from patients with cancer types such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.
After the results of the study were summed up, the specialists conducted a series of experiments with cancer cell structures of different types. Then followed experiments on rodents, during which the scientists managed to discover a metabolic product of exchange processes, which was a dithiocarb-copper complex. It is this substance that is responsible for the antitumor effect of Disulfiram. In addition, the specialists managed to determine the drug's medicinal target: it was proven that the active metabolic product accumulates directly in the tumor cells.
"We used functional and biophysical testing, which allowed us to identify the molecular target of the metabolic product of Disulfiram. This target was the protein component NPL4, which is involved in multiple regulatory and stress processes in the cell," the scientists say.
The scientists' full report on the work they did is presented in the journal Nature.
[