VOA标准英语2010年-Viagra Improves Effectiveness of Cance

Doctors often use drugs in combination. Sometimes one medicine will enhance the effectiveness of another. Or a drug will have side effects that are eased by a different medicine. Now, researchers have found one drug that does both, and the name of the medicine may surprise you.

This story starts with a powerful anti-cancer drug called doxorubicin. It's effective, but it has a lot of serious side effects, including damage to the heart.

Researchers were looking for a way to ease those cardiac symptoms. Using laboratory mice, they tried out a drug originally developed to treat angina - chest pain - but which turned out to be a hugely successful drug for quite a different problem.

"We are using Viagra, which has been utilized¹ by a vast number of patients for the last 12 years for treatment of erectile dysfunction with virtually no evidence of life-threatening side effects," said Rakesh Kukreja of Virginia Commonwealth² University, an author of a paper describing the research.

Viagra [sildenafil], it turns out, did a good job of easing the heart-related side-effects of the cancer treatment. But the researchers were worried it might also reduce the tumor-fighting properties of doxorubicin. However, in their study, Kukreja says it actually increased the effectiveness of the cancer drug.

"That was a huge surprise. We thought that, in order for this drug to be used for protecting the heart, we needed to rule out that it did not interfere³ with the efficacy of doxorubicin for treatment of cancer. So we found the opposite results, where we saw, actually, enhanced anti-tumor effect of doxorubicin in prostate cancer."

And in a couple of other cancers, too.

Kukreja says the next step will be human trials, to see how the doxorubicin-Viagra combination works in actual patients.

A paper describing the research is published online by the Proceedings⁴ of the National Academy of Sciences.
 

1 utilized   

v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

3 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

4 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼