Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Shows Promising Results

A new study published in Clinical Cancer Research has highlighted the effectiveness of a novel approach to lung cancer therapy. Researchers from the University of Colorado, led by S. Sundaram, have developed a targeted drug and gene delivery system that combines deslorelin, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist, with docetaxel, a widely used cancer treatment. This combination, when delivered via RGD peptide conjugated nanoparticles, showed significant tumor inhibition and apoptosis in H1299 lung cancer cells and xenografts in athymic nude mice.

Key Takeaways:

• The deslorelin-docetaxel conjugate enhanced docetaxel efficacy by 13-fold in H1299 cells compared to docetaxel alone.
• Combination of the conjugate with RGD-Flt23k-NP in vivo resulted in an 82-and 15-fold tumor growth inhibition on day 39 following repeated weekly i.v. injections and a single intratumoral (i.t.) injection, respectively.
• Apoptotic indices for the combination therapy were 14% and 10% in the i.v. and i.t. groups, respectively, and higher than the individual therapies.
• Combination therapy groups exhibited greater VEGF inhibition in both the i.v. and i.t. groups.
• The researchers concluded that combination of novel targeted therapeutic approaches provides an attractive alternative to current treatment options for lung cancer therapy.

Statistics:

• 13-fold increase in docetaxel efficacy in H1299 cells compared to docetaxel alone.
• 82-fold tumor growth inhibition on day 39 following repeated weekly i.v. injections.
• 15-fold tumor growth inhibition on day 39 following a single intratumoral (i.t.) injection.
• 14% apoptotic index in the i.v. combination therapy group.
• 10% apoptotic index in the i.t. combination therapy group.

Sources:

• Sundaram, S., et al. "Targeted drug and gene delivery systems for lung cancer therapy." Clinical Cancer Research 15.23 (2009): 7299-308.
• American Association Cancer Research. Clinical Cancer Research. 615 Chestnut St., 17TH Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106-4404, USA.