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Could psychedelics help counter chemotherapy’s harmful effects?

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A study published in Science examined whether psilocybin could prevent chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy, using mostly mice and some human tissue.
  • In rodents, two doses before chemotherapy prevented painful hypersensitivity for up to six treatment cycles without altering immune function or the treatment’s antitumor effect.
  • Researchers described the findings as promising, but further testing in humans is required and the article warns against self-medication.

A psychedelic compound could help protect cancer patients from one of chemotherapy’s most damaging side effects, according to research that has so far focused mainly on mice and some human tissues.

Approximately three-quarters of patients

· Patrick DoughertyThe study co-author described how frequently chemotherapy patients develop peripheral neuropathy.

The study, published this week in Science, examined peripheral neuropathy, a form of nerve damage that affects about three-quarters of patients receiving chemotherapy, according to Patrick Dougherty, a co-author. It commonly causes unpleasant or painful numbness and tingling. About one-third of patients may develop continuous, persistent pain, said Dougherty, a pain specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The symptoms can also cause walking difficulties and other debilitating complications that last well beyond chemotherapy. The problem can affect treatment itself because oncologists may need to reduce or stop chemotherapy early. The researchers said psilocybin could prevent these effects.

Numbness and tingling

· Patrick DoughertyHe described the common symptoms of chemotherapy-related nerve damage.

The interest began unexpectedly while scientists were studying how cancer uses the nervous system to advance in mice. The compound appeared to prevent the side effect. Later experiments pointed to protection of sensory nerves and support for the movement of mitochondria, the cells’ energy centers. Chemotherapy damages microscopic pathways that carry energy to nerve endings in the hands and feet, causing those endings to die.

Approximately one-third

· Patrick DoughertyHe estimated the share of patients who may develop continuous, persistent pain.

Psilocybin also appeared to preserve electrical activity in the brain, which chemotherapy can affect. Two doses given before treatment prevented painful hypersensitivity in rodents for as many as six consecutive chemotherapy cycles, without altering the immune system or the treatment’s ability to attack tumors. Kristy Townsend, a neurobiology professor at Ohio State University, called the discovery “very promising.” The article also cautioned against self-medication and said human research remains necessary.

Very promising

· Kristy TownsendThe Ohio State University neurobiology professor assessed the research findings.
About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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