Federal gov should fund drug to treat breast cancer and endometriosis, Aus committee says
Glaucoma drugs could potentially be repurposed to treat aggressive breast cancer after researchers identified markers linked to response.
Scientists found that several cancers, including breast cancer, melanoma and a type of blood cancer, rely on the same molecule to become aggressive and spread.
Drugs that block the molecule are already used to treat glaucoma and may therefore have potential as cancer treatments.
Researchers also identified markers that could help indicate which patients may respond well to the drugs.
Experts said the findings could help establish which patients may benefit from existing treatments.
Repurposing medicines already shown to be safe could also allow treatments to reach patients faster.
Lead author Victoria Sanz Moreno, professor of cancer cell and metastasis biology at The Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: “Some cancers are particularly aggressive, and once they spread they become very hard to treat.
“Catching these aggressive cancers and preventing their ability to move around the body is really crucial to our mission to keep more people living well with cancer.
“Our research has identified a shared weakness of aggressive cancer cells that could be targeted across many cancer types, wherever they originate in the body.
“We confirmed our findings in aggressive cancers such as breast cancer, melanoma, and a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia, but we believe this molecular fingerprint of cancer cells likely to die after treatment applies to many more cancer types.
“It’s reassuring to know that a treatment already exists – a drug currently being used safely in some patients could be adapted to treat these cancers.”
Researchers set out to find markers that could identify which cancers would respond well to drugs blocking ROCK, also known as Rho kinase.
Aggressive cancer cells rely on ROCK as they spread around the body and cause advanced disease that is harder to treat.
The molecule keeps the scaffolding inside cells tense, causing them to contract and become round and generating enough force for cancer cells to squeeze through tissue.
The team, working in the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, examined data from a drug-sensitivity database to identify which cancer cells responded to ROCK inhibitors.
Breast cancer cells that responded to ROCK inhibitors had a particular gene called E-Cadherin that was not working properly.
In melanoma, responsive cells tended to have a more rounded shape and high activity in a signalling pathway called NFKB.
Acute myeloid leukaemia cells that responded well to ROCK inhibitors had a specific subset of genetic alterations.
Researchers then tested the findings in laboratory tumour samples and mouse studies.
They hope tumour biopsies showing these markers could eventually help identify patients who may respond well to ROCK inhibitors.
Dr Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now, said: “With around 11,500 women tragically dying from breast cancer every year in the UK, research like this is vital to finding more effective treatment options.
“This study helps to lay the foundation for understanding who among those with certain cancers, including breast cancer, might benefit most from existing drugs. Finding new uses for existing treatments, which we know people can safely take, is easier and faster than developing new cancer drugs from scratch.
“It’s encouraging that these drugs may be especially effective in targeting cancer cells that are more likely to spread and resist treatment.
“While this research is still at an early stage and clinical trials are needed, it’s an important step towards more personalised breast cancer treatments in the future.”
First author Jaume Barcelo, formerly a postdoctoral research fellow at The Institute of Cancer Research in London and now based at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London, said: “Our study has identified a specific pattern of features that is consistent across many cancer types, and that can be used to match the right patients to this treatment.
“The next stage for this research will be to test how these drugs that inhibit ROCK work in combination with other treatments, to maximise the benefit for patients.
“As ROCK inhibitors are already approved to treat glaucoma, I hope that our findings can be used to progress the drugs into clinical trials to treat cancer in the near future.”
The research was funded by The Institute of Cancer Research, Breast Cancer Now, Barts Cancer Charity, Cancer Research UK, Worldwide Cancer Research and UK Research and Innovation.
Susanna Daniels, chief executive officer of Melanoma Focus, said: “Despite major advances in melanoma treatment over the past decade, too many people still die from the disease each year, and not every patient responds to the treatments currently available.
“Every new discovery improves our understanding of how melanoma grows and survives, bringing us closer to treatments that are more effective, more targeted and have the potential to improve survival.
“While these findings are still at an early stage and will need to be tested in clinical trials, they offer an encouraging direction for future melanoma research and the development of more personalised treatments.”
