The preliminary research was conducted in mice, but scientists were optimistic the results would apply to humans. Clinical trials begin this month.
Can psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound also known as magic mushrooms, inoculate cancer patients against the debilitating nerve damage caused by chemotherapy? At first blush, such an outcome might seem like wishful thinking.
But a study published on Thursday in the journal Science makes a compelling case that administering psilocybin shortly before cancer treatments might prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a condition that affects about two-thirds of patients who receive chemo.
The scientists studied mice, but the results are so promising that human trials are beginning this month. If successful, the treatment could revolutionize cancer therapy and improve the quality of life for millions.
There are no effective treatments for neuropathy, which causes pain, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, and can force patients to scale back or halt chemotherapy when the discomfort becomes too much to bear.
For some cancer survivors, the condition persists for years after treatments end.
The study, by a team of doctors and researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, found that lab mice given two doses of psilocybin before receiving chemotherapy were shielded from nerve damage.
The protection held up through six consecutive chemo sessions and persisted for eight months, the study’s duration. Just as important, the psilocybin treatments, given as a pill, had no impact on tumor growth or immune response, making them safe for even the sickest patients.
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