Clotrimazole for Cancer?

Clotrimazole is highly effective in treating superficial fungal infections. A surprising study finds that it also has anticancer properties.

Clotrimazole has been shown to inhibit the movement of Ca²⁺ and K⁺ ions across the plasma membrane. Because cell proliferation depends on regulated movement of ions within the cell, a multicenter team tested whether clotrimazole would check cell growth in vitro. It did: growth of both normal and cancer cell lines was strongly inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, without evidence of cell toxicity.

The team then injected immunodeficient mice with human melanoma cells to produce lung metastases. Ten mice also received daily subcutaneous clotrimazole injections, and these animals had 86% fewer pleural meta…