Ecstasy Tested As Cancer Treatment

Scientists are looking into MDMA's possible effectiveness in treating some forms of cancer.

Researchers from Birmingham University claimed the designer drug, also known as MDMA, could be used to treat leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma after making it 100 times more effective at suppressing growth. Ecstasy was already known to be effective against more than half of white blood cell cancers, but previously the large dose required to treat a tumour would also have killed the patient. In a study published in the Investigational New Drugs journal, the scientists said the new drug could be used by doctors to treat cancer if it can be produced in a safe form.

In "normal" doses, MDMA is already known to sometimes be effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder.