{"entity":{"id":"nerve-tumour-denervation","kind":"technology","name":"Cancer neuroscience: cutting the nerve supply","aka":[],"tldr":"Tumours recruit nerves and use nerve signals to grow. Blocking that traffic, with beta-blockers or botulinum toxin, is being tested.","summary":"Nerves infiltrate tumours and drive proliferation through adrenergic and cholinergic signalling; perineural invasion is a long-standing prognostic marker. Trials are testing perioperative propranolol in prostate cancer (NCT05679193, completed), pancreatic cancer (NCT06145074, recruiting), and beta-blockade with a COX-2 inhibitor in ovarian cancer (NCT06839144, recruiting). Botulinum toxin denervation has been trialled in gastric cancer. Effects so far are on biomarkers, not survival.","status":"phase-2","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"Perioperative propranolol in PDAC (NCT06145074)","url":"https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06145074"},{"label":"Beta-blockade in ovarian cancer (NCT06839144)","url":"https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06839144"}],"tags":["frontier","radical"],"related":[],"cancers":["prostate","pancreatic","ovarian","gastric"],"sections":["targeted-therapy","supportive-care"],"technologies":["exercise-oncology","cardio-oncology"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Adrenergic and cholinergic nerve endings supply growth and survival signals to tumour and stromal cells; pharmacological or surgical denervation removes them.","strengths":["Uses cheap, long-established drugs","Targets the host, so tumour genotype does not matter","The perioperative window is a plausible high-impact moment"],"limitations":["No survival benefit demonstrated","Small trials with biomarker endpoints","Beta-blockade has its own cardiovascular effects"]},"route":"/technologies/nerve-tumour-denervation/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"gastric","kind":"cancer","name":"Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer","route":"/cancers/gastric/"},{"id":"ovarian","kind":"cancer","name":"Ovarian cancer","route":"/cancers/ovarian/"},{"id":"pancreatic","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/pancreatic/"},{"id":"prostate","kind":"cancer","name":"Prostate cancer","route":"/cancers/prostate/"}],"section":[{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"},{"id":"targeted-therapy","kind":"section","name":"Targeted Therapy","route":"/fronts/targeted-therapy/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cardio-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Cardio-oncology","route":"/technologies/cardio-oncology/"},{"id":"exercise-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Exercise & lifestyle oncology","route":"/technologies/exercise-oncology/"}],"term":[{"id":"perineural-invasion","kind":"term","name":"Perineural invasion (PNI)","route":"/terms/perineural-invasion/"}]}}