New hope for skin cancer in the form of arthritis drug
Drugs that are used to cure different ailments have often been found to contain cancer-treating elements.
In another such development, new research has shown that combining the treatment for the most deadly form of skin cancer with a common anti-rheumatic drug could provide more effective results.
Many times, chemotherapy drugs don't reach the cancer cells because of which patients don't respond well to the treatment.
The findings showed that using "leflunomide" – an immunosuppressive drug approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis – in combination with another melanoma drug, selumetinib almost completely stopped the growth of a melanoma tumour in mice.
"By combining therapies, it's possible to attack the disease from several angles, which makes it harder for the melanoma to develop resistance to any of the drugs," said a scientist.
"Our research has shown that there could also be further benefits – by joining these two drugs together you may be able to enhance their effects, getting a treatment that is more than the sum of its parts," the scientist said.
Although only five percent of skin cancer cases involve melanoma, it causes the majority of deaths from the disease. If caught early, melanoma is very treatable, but once the cancer has metastasised or spread, then treatment becomes more difficult.
The research, tested leflunomide's effect against melanoma with selumetinib.
When the team tested leflunomide in the lab, it was found to work on melanoma cells irrespective of the genetic signature of the cancer.
This means that leflunomide has the potential to be used in all melanoma cases, not just for tumours harbouring BRAF mutations, the researchers said.
However, when leflunomide was tested on melanoma cells jointly with selumetinib, the scientists found it was more effective than either drug on its own.
In mice, the two drugs together almost completely halted the growth of the tumour over a 12 day period, which far outstripped the effect of either drug used in isolation, the researchers said.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.
In another such development, new research has shown that combining the treatment for the most deadly form of skin cancer with a common anti-rheumatic drug could provide more effective results.
Many times, chemotherapy drugs don't reach the cancer cells because of which patients don't respond well to the treatment.
The findings showed that using "leflunomide" – an immunosuppressive drug approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis – in combination with another melanoma drug, selumetinib almost completely stopped the growth of a melanoma tumour in mice.
"By combining therapies, it's possible to attack the disease from several angles, which makes it harder for the melanoma to develop resistance to any of the drugs," said a scientist.
"Our research has shown that there could also be further benefits – by joining these two drugs together you may be able to enhance their effects, getting a treatment that is more than the sum of its parts," the scientist said.
Although only five percent of skin cancer cases involve melanoma, it causes the majority of deaths from the disease. If caught early, melanoma is very treatable, but once the cancer has metastasised or spread, then treatment becomes more difficult.
The research, tested leflunomide's effect against melanoma with selumetinib.
When the team tested leflunomide in the lab, it was found to work on melanoma cells irrespective of the genetic signature of the cancer.
This means that leflunomide has the potential to be used in all melanoma cases, not just for tumours harbouring BRAF mutations, the researchers said.
However, when leflunomide was tested on melanoma cells jointly with selumetinib, the scientists found it was more effective than either drug on its own.
In mice, the two drugs together almost completely halted the growth of the tumour over a 12 day period, which far outstripped the effect of either drug used in isolation, the researchers said.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.
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Labels: anti-rheumatic, arthritis drug, BRAF mutations, Cancer Cells, chemotherapy, hope, immuno-suppressive, leflumomide, Melanoma, selumetinib, Skin cancer
posted by G S Iyer at 7:31 AM
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