http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/eofr-frt110906.php
Public release date: 10-Nov-2006
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986
European
Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer
First report that apoptotic and anti-angiogenic
therapies work better together than alone
Prague, Czech Republic: American researchers have found that giving
a combination of imantanib (Glivec [1]) and a drug that induces cell
death (apoptosis) was better at inhibiting the growth of Ewing's
sarcoma in mice than either therapy on its own.
Imantanib works by preventing the creation of new blood vessels to
supply the growing tumour (anti-angiogenesis) and the researchers
believe that this is the first report of synergy between apoptosis and
anti-angiogenic therapy in pre-clinical work.
Professor Andrea Hayes-Jordan reported to the EORTC-NCI-AACR [2]
Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Prague today
(Friday 10 November) that treating sarcoma cells with imantanib
inhibited a growth factor called PDGFR-beta. This had the effect of
increasing the sensitivity of the cells to a drug called tumour
necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL).
Prof Hayes-Jordan, assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics at
the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA, said: “When I treated the
tumour cells with imantanib, the anti-angiogenic drug, the receptors
for TRAIL, the apoptotic drug, increased, thus increasing the efficacy
of TRAIL. This was supported by the mouse studies, which showed
increased inhibition of pulmonary metastases and primary tumour growth
when both were used simultaneously. These findings are important
because, if it proves to be effective in humans, it would be well
tolerated and have significantly fewer side effects than traditional
cytotoxic therapy. Also, at present, we have no effective chemotherapy
for pulmonary metastases – the only effective treatment is surgery – so
this would give us another option.”
Prof Hayes-Jordan hopes to investigate the dual therapy in humans in
a clinical trial within 12-18 months.