Botox could be used alongside chemotherapy and radiation to fight cancer, new research has suggested. The cosmetic treatment produced by Allergan, which is normally used to smooth wrinkles, was found to destroy resistant cancer cells in tests on mice.

Professor Bernard Gallez from Louvain University in Brussels injected botulinum neurotoxin type A, otherwise known as Botox, into two types of cancerous tumours in mice. After injecting the tumours they were then examined for three days. The team found it could slow the growth of the tumour and hindered the action of the neurotransmitters which the tumours rely on to grow.

Professor Gallez says the treatment could be used as a "pre-treatment" to other conventional cancer treatments. He said: "Hypoxia is a source of resistance to radiotherapy, and is a determining factor in the poor prognosis of tumours to cytotoxic treatments. "Botulinum toxin could lead to inhibition of contractions of tumour vessels, improve tumour perfusion and oxygenation, and enhance the response of tumours to radio- and chemotherapy."

Since Botox is used in cosmetic procedures with few adverse reactions, the team says it may soon be possible to carry out human trials. The dosages used in the mouse study were also within the range used in humans in current Botox procedures. They also said it had the capacity to destroy tumour cells without harming healthy tissue. Professor Gallez says this could give Botox the edge over other treatments such as chemotherapy which can sometimes damage healthy cells.