Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist. It blocks the receptors that bind heroin, morphine, other narcotic drugs and the body's own endogenous opioids like beta endorphin. In doses of 50 mg a day or more, it is used in narcotic and alcohol withdrawal.
When used in low doses (usually 4.5 mg), however, naltrexone increases the secretion of these endogenous opioids, which not only relieve pain, but also regulate the immune system. This has led to its use as a treatment for HIV/AIDS, autoimmune diseases and fibromyalgia. It is especially popular as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.
LDN's Mode of Action in Cancer
In the 1980s, researchers like Ian S. Zagon noticed that when used in large doses, naltrexone stimulated the growth of cancer, but low doses had the opposite effect. Low dose naltrexone increases the secretion of several opioid peptides, such as beta endorphin and methionine enkephalin (also known as met enkephalin and opioid growth factor or OGF).
Beta endorphin acts as a non-specific cancer immunotherapy by boosting the action of natural killer cells (NK cells). Met enkephalin/OGF has direct anti-tumor action through opioid receptors that have been detected in many types of malignant tumors. It inhibits angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels), without which cancer cannot grow.
LDN is not a "cure for cancer." It does not help everyone, but in many cases it can stop the growth of tumors or even shrink them, but still the patient has to continue taking it until the rest of his life, or until a more effective treatment is found.
Clinical Trials, Studies and Publications
There are dozens of lab studies which show that either OGF or low doses of naltrexone can inhibit cancer growth in the following types of cancer:
- ovarian cancer
- thyroid follicular cancer
- head and neck cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- renal cell cancer (kidney cancer)
- neuroblastoma
- colon cancer
- melanoma
Additionally, receptors for OGF have been found in throat cancer, brain tumors, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, leukemia and multiple myeloma. Beta-endorphin has been shown to suppress growth of prostate cancer.
Unfortunately, no proper clinical trials have been published on LDN. There are published case studies of impressive results with LDN in metastatic pancreatic cancer (which is one of the most notorious, if not the most notorious of all, cancers to treat) and B-cell lymphoma. In pancreatic cancer, it was combined with alpha lipoic acid, which suppresses cancer growth by inhibiting NF-kappa B.
Anecdotally, LDN has also been described to help the following cancers:
- bladder cancer
- carcinoid tumor
- uterine cancer
Should One Try LDN for Cancer?
Low dose naltrexone is not exactly a "rigorously clinically studied cancer therapy." However, there is clear evidence for a sensible mode of action as well as a wealth of anecdotal evidence showing that the efficacy also translates to clinical benefit.
For many types of cancer, especially metastatic/advanced cancer, there are no effective therapies or the treatments may not be work (or be tolerated) by an individual patient. In that case it might make sense to consider LDN, especially since it is very inexpensive ($15-30 a month) and notably non-toxic – in one study of LDN for fibromyalgia it actually caused fewer side effects than placebo.
Even if the prognosis is good, LDN could still be used, as it is very unlikely to do any harm. Because of increased endorphins it may also relieve pain and fatigue as well as improve mood and sleep.
LDN can be combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other cancer treatments (such as other immunotherapies or biological drugs), though it is said to be ineffective in hormone-treated prostate cancer.
In some animal studies, LDN was successfully combined with the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel (Taxol) and in others with gemcitabine (Gemzar). It cannot be taken together with narcotic painkillers though, because it is an opioid antagonist.
Any doctor can write a prescription for LDN (normally capsules of 4.5 mg taken at bedtime; calcium carbonate should not be used as a filler) and any compounding pharmacy should be able to fill it.
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