Scorpion venom is being used in experiments to shrink cancer tumors.
Patients suffering from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, are becoming interested in a therapy that uses scorpion venom to shrink tumors. Scientists are mixing a radioactive isotope with an artificial version of the venom of Israeli yellow scorpions. The resulting medicine, TM-601, has shown some mild success in prolonging the lives of patients with glioblastomas.
Severity of Glioblastoma
Approximately 17,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumors annually. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the deadliest. Patients newly diagnosed with GBM have a mean survival time of eight to 15 months. The survival rate for five years out is only 5 percent. Depending on the tumor, it might be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Scorpion Experiment with 18 Patients
Doctors in California, Alabama and Missouri worked together on a study of TM-601 on adult patients with recurrent GBM. They wanted to learn if TM-601 would successfully bind with malignant brain tumor cells but not with normal brain tissue. Each patient had a catheter with a subcutaneous reservoir placed in the cavity of his or her tumor. They each received a single dose of the radioactive venom treatment.
Results of Experiment
The doctors were satisfied that the TM-601 stayed in the tumor and did not adversely affect healthy organs. Four of the patients stabilized or improved following the single dose. This first experiment was deemed successful enough to warrant further phases of the study.
One Great Success
Some patients respond better than others to TM-601. Donna Van Ryn, of Tinley Park, Illinois, was diagnosed with GBM in December, 2005. She had two surgeries, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. The tumor kept growing back. But once she started taking TM-601 intravenously, her symptoms halted. She was able to resume exercising, and started a new job teaching second grade.
Venom Treatment in Cuba
A more primitive treatment is popular in Cuba, where a few drops of venom from the blue scorpion are mixed with distilled water. Known as Escovul, this folk medicine is taken orally. Approximately 70,000 people have tried it in the past dozen years for cancer and other problems. While Escovul was popularized by a folk healer named Misael Bordier, now the government pharmaceutical company Labiofam is running clinical trials on the venomous concoction.
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