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Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, may do more than treat erectile dysfunction—it could also help stop cancer from spreading to other organs, according to a new study from the Weizmann Institute of Science.
The drug appears to interfere with cancer cells’ ability to use cholesterol, a substance the cells rely on to break away from tumors and invade distant parts of the body. Researchers say the discovery points to a possible new role for one of the world’s most widely used medications and suggests it may work even better when paired with cholesterol-lowering statins.
Dr. Mike Lattanzi, a board-certified medical oncologist and director of the Genitourinary Cancer Research Program at Texas Oncology, who was not involved in the study, told Newsweek that phosphodiesterase inhibitors like sildenafil appear to alter how cancer cells process cholesterol.
“The researchers found that sildenafil-mediated changes in cholesterol metabolism could sensitize cancer cells to cholesterol altering drugs like statins, and actually slow cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth,” Lattanzi said.
He cautioned that the findings, while promising, are not yet ready to change how patients are treated.
“These results are preclinical—meaning the data were derived from cell lines or mice. They are intriguing and thought-provoking, but they would need to be validated in human studies in order to inform the management of cancer patients,” he said.
Lattanzi noted that the appeal of the research lies partly in the fact that both drugs involved are already in wide use.
“The molecules that they used to treat the cancer cells are medications many people already take on a daily basis, whether they’re on sildenafil or a statin such as lovastatin,” he said.
“I think it’s certainly plausible that there is a synergistic anti-cancer effect from the combination of sildenafil and lovastatin,” he said. “But ultimately, that conclusion needs to be borne out in human studies, whether through a clinical trial or a retrospective study examining cancer outcomes in patients who are already taking these medications for other reasons.”
He added that any clinical use remains distant: “I think we’re a long way off from developing any kind of a cancer prevention, or so-called chemoprevention strategy, utilizing drugs like Viagra to prevent cancer.”
Newsweek has contacted study author Ayelet Erez, a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, for further comment via email.
How The Drug Disrupts Cancer’s Fuel Supply
The study, published in Cancer Research, found that sildenafil blocks an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5, or PDE5. Blocking that enzyme raises levels of a signaling molecule called cGMP, which is what widens blood vessels and increases blood flow to the penis—the mechanism behind Viagra’s use for erectile dysfunction.
But the research team found that cGMP has a second effect: it binds to a protein that transports cholesterol inside cells. That interference leaves cancer cells with less cholesterol to draw on, and the study found that cancer cells are especially vulnerable to that shortage, limiting their ability to spread.
Mice, Human Cells and Two Decades of Health Records
The findings were based on mouse models, cancer cell cultures taken from human patients, and 20 years of health data from about 5 million members of Clalit, an Israeli health provider. Combining sildenafil with statins—drugs that reduce the body’s own cholesterol production—showed an even stronger effect in blocking metastasis, the study found.
Analysis of the Clalit records showed that cancer patients who took sildenafil had significantly better survival rates, an effect that was stronger among those also taking statins.
Reference
Erez, A., et al. (2026). PDE5a Inhibition Restricts Cancer Metastasis by Disrupting NPC1-Mediated Cholesterol Trafficking Through a Non-canonical cGMP-Dependent Pathway. Cancer Research. https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-26-1818.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and Emma Lee-Sang
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