Possible lung tumour therapy
Researchers in Spain have found a possible therapy for one of the most aggressive types of lung cancer.
The scientists at the Experimental Oncology Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, part-funded by the European Research Council and the European Union, analysed the gene signature of tumours through large-scale gene analysis techniques. A key barrier in the study of the tumour is their heterogeneity when they reach advanced stages.
Lung adenocarcinomas carrying oncogenic KRAS, the engine driving these tumours in 30% of cases, constitute the most aggressive sub-type because, unlike other types of lung cancer, there are no targeted therapies beyond the standard cisplatin-based treatment.
Commenting, Chiara Ambrogio, first author of the paper, said: “Classically, tumours have been studied at advanced stages, but we were interested in studying the initial stages of tumour formation. We followed this approach to avoid the heterogeneity issue and try to identify new essential mechanisms that sustain tumour development with potential therapeutic uses.
“We discovered that these tumours display high levels of activity of the DDR1 gene, so we decided to validate its inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for this type of tumour.”
Recent data indicates that combined therapies using two or more drugs can prevent, or at least delay, relapses in the case of cancer patients. Consequently, the experts simultaneously used dasatinib, which inhibits the DDR1 protein, together with demcizumab, an antiboby inhibiting the Notch pathway that is functionally related to DDR1, in this tumour type.
Following five years of research, the experts conclude that the combination of the two drugs has additive effects on tumours, reducing their size, preventing their progression and significantly increasing survival rates.
A paper is set to be published in the journal Nature Medicine.
