Botox Treats Enlarged Prostates

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Here's yet another use for Botox that is beyond cosmetic -- the toxin may help men with enlarged prostates.

Researchers from Taiwan and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine find injections of botulinum toxin A, or Botox, into the prostate gland of men with enlarged prostate, eased symptoms and improved quality of life up to a year after the procedure.

The study looked at 37 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) that did not benefit from standard medical treatment. Participants got Botox injections directly into their prostate glands. Up to one year after the injections, 27 of the men -- or 73 percent -- had a 30-percent improvement in urinary tract symptoms and quality of life. And they did not have any significant side effects, such as stress urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction.

"It's a challenging disease to live with because it causes frequent and difficult urination. Unfortunately, common treatments also are problematic because they carry some risk of serious side effects, such as impotence," senior author Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine was quoted as saying. "Our results are encouraging because they indicate that Botox could represent a simple, safe and effective treatment for enlarged prostate that has long-term benefits."

Researchers say Botox reduces the size of the prostate gland through a process that causes the prostate cells to die in a programmed way. The reduction can improve the flow of urine and decrease residual urine left in the bladder.

More than half of men older than age 60, and 80 percent of men by age 80, will have enlarged prostates. About half will have symptoms, which include frequent urination, urinary tract infections, the inability to completely empty the bladder and, in severe cases, eventual damage to the bladder and kidneys.

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SOURCE: American Urological Association Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., May 19-24, 2007