New Drug Combination Shows Promise in Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer

Strategic Insights -

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research in London have made a breakthrough discovery in treating advanced prostate cancer. They have found that a combination of two targeted drugs could slow down tumour growth and kill cancer cells in up to two-fifths of patients with this type of cancer. The two drugs, fadraciclib and capivasertib, are already in development or approved for use in treating other cancers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The research, published in Nature Communications, found that combining fadraciclib and capivasertib triggered prostate cancer cell death in laboratory tests.
  • The combination of drugs was particularly effective in prostate cancer cells that had become resistant to hormone therapy, a common treatment for this type of cancer.
  • The team identified a specific tumour type, PTEN-loss/PI3K-activated, which accounted for around 40% of patients with advanced prostate cancer, that responded best to the combination of CDK9 and AKT inhibitors.
  • The combination of drugs slowed tumour growth by 66.7% in mice with this tumour type, while using either drug alone had no effect on tumour growth.
  • The researchers hope to progress the drug combination into clinical trials for prostate cancer patients in the near future.
  • The study highlights the importance of re-assessing existing drugs in innovative ways to find new treatments for cancer.
  • The Institute of Cancer Research has a track record of academic drug discovery and development, and this study demonstrates the potential benefit of using existing drugs to treat prostate cancer patients.

Statistics:

  • 55,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year.
  • Up to 40% of patients with advanced prostate cancer have the PTEN-loss/PI3K-activated tumour type.
  • The combination of fadraciclib and capivasertib slowed tumour growth by an average of 66.7% in mice.
  • In 10 days, untreated tumours grew, on average, more than six times in size.
  • The combination of drugs kept tumours from doubling in size in that time.

Sources:

  • Institute of Cancer Research
  • The Wellcome Trust
  • Prostate Cancer Foundation
  • Prostate Cancer UK
  • The Cancer Research UK Convergence Science Centre
  • Nature Communications
  • Cyclacel
  • AstraZeneca
  • Astex Pharmaceuticals
  • Cancer Research Technology Limited
  • https://www.icr.ac.uk/about-us/icr-news/detail/new-drug-combination-to-tackle-advanced-prostate-cancer