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Gene therapy may be a cure for
post-radical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction
Eurekalert, April 28 2003
CHICAGO, April 28 – Researchers from the University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) have found that gene therapy may not
only be a feasible, but also may be an ideal treatment for neuropathic
erectile dysfunction (ED). Neuropathic ED
results from damage to the nerves essential to achieving and maintaining
an erection and is experienced by 79.6 percent of men who undergo radical
prostatectomies. Results of the study were presented today at the annual
meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) and are published in
abstract 1179 of the AUA proceedings. "While radical
prostatectomy can be a cure for early stage prostate cancer in a large
percentage of patients, there are a number of risks and side effects that
patients must consider when deciding on whether to have the surgery or not
– one of those being the high likelihood of experiencing erectile
dysfunction." said Michael Chancellor, M.D., director of neurourology
at UPMC and professor of urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine. "If by using gene therapy prior to surgery, we can minimize
nerve damage and preserve the patient's ability to have an erection, the
patient may be less reluctant to have the potentially life-saving
procedure." In the study,
researchers injected herpes simplex virus vectors that deliver
neurotrophic factors, factors that facilitate the recovery of injured
nerves, into the corpus cavernosum or cavernous nerve of rats at the time
of cryo-injury to the cavernous nerve. The cavernous nerve is the nerve
that stimulates erection; cryo-injury has similar effects on the nerve as
radical prostatectomy. After injection, they found that the viral vectors
transported the neurotrophic factors to the nerve. On electrical nerve
stimulation, nerve-injured rats that expressed the viral vector
experienced an increase in intracavernous pressure. The researchers hope
that this concept can be translated into humans, enabling gene therapy to
be used as a prophylactic treatment for men undergoing radical
prostatectomy. Radical
prostatectomy is used to treat the early stages of prostate cancer by
surgically removing the prostate gland and surrounding tissue. The
procedure has a success rate of 70 to 85 percent. A high percentage of
patients experience ED after the procedure due to injury to the peripheral
nerves, including the cavernous nerve, located close to the prostate
gland. In addition to
studying the use of gene therapy to treat post-radical prostatectomy ED,
the team from the University of Pittsburgh also is investigating the
potential of using muscle derived stem cells to regenerate the peripheral
nerves often damaged by radical prostatectomy. This study is
published in abstract 1256 of the AUA proceedings. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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