|  |  |  | | | | OLD DRUGS COULD PROVIDE NEW CANCER TREATMENTS | | | | |
| |  Dr Chris Bunce, Leukaemia Research Bennett Fellow.
Release Date: 7th March 2003
Two drugs, one used to treat heart disease, and the other a female contraceptive, may improve existing treatment for a particularly aggressive form of blood cancer, Burkitt’s lymphoma , scientists from the University of Birmingham have found.
The drugs, clofibric acid and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), force these cancer cells to undergo natural cell death (apoptosis) according to the study published today (7th March) in the scientific journal Leukemia.
Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL), which is relatively rare in the western world but the most common form of childhood cancer in equatorial Africa, is a particularly aggressive blood cancer - tumours have been reported to double in size in the space of 24 hours (see notes for editors).
Dr Chris Bunce, Leukaemia Research Fund Bennett Fellow, said: “Originally we were looking to see whether these drugs could make these Burkitt cells more sensitive to a leukaemia treatment called all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). But to our delight we found that, when used together, they kill the cancer cells without the need for ATRA.” (see notes for editors)
The scientists believe the drugs target receptors within the blood cell which control natural cell death.
At present, Burkitt’s lymphoma is treated with chemotherapy, which generally achieves a high cure rate. However, response rates for AIDS-related Burkitt’s lymphoma (see notes for editors) are much lower because patients are less able to tolerate intensive chemotherapy. Furthermore, the combination of chemotherapy, and the clinical support required is not always readily available in underdeveloped countries where the disease is endemic.
Dr Bunce said: “We believe therefore, that these drugs could serve as powerful adjuncts to current chemotherapy, particularly for the AIDS-related form of the disease.” The next step is to see whether these encouraging results can be transferred to the clinic. The researchers also want to see whether they can be used to treat related blood cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, the most common leukaemia in the western world.
Dr David Grant, Leukaemia Research Fund Scientific Director, said: “The development of additional treatments such as these which are inexpensive and have low levels of toxicity, would represent a major advance in the global management of the disease.
“There is still some way to go, however, before doctors can start prescribing these well-known drugs to patients with this disease.”
These findings have grown out of the team’s research into a process call differentiation- the process by which cells mature and divide, before dying. Their interest in these drugs began when they found that MPA could help myeloid blood cells to differentiate.
|
|
|
|
|
