HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Overcoming resistance to targeted cancer drug

A couple of backup circuits in cancer cells have discovered scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and his colleagues from abroad, the effect of a widely used cancer drug to dodge the cells to enable. Verklemmen these circuits with targeted therapies may increase or restore the drug potency, according to a study published in science translational medicine.
Research focused on the drug Cetuximab, an antibody, the cancer cell growth hampered by blocking a structure, called the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Cetuximab is in many patients with colorectal cancer or squamous cancer of the head and neck, but the benefits rarely longer than a year, and some patients get no benefit from the drug.
Known until now still not scientists, why cancer, which initially Cetuximab respond to out resistant, or how to overcome such resistance.
In the new study researchers led by Pasi Janne, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber and Kimio East, MD, PhD, formerly of Dana-Farber and now at Kinki University School of medicine, Osaka, Japan, found that a protein was known as new actively sends in some Cetuximab resistant cancer cells "Signals, growing" bypass the "stop growing" signals triggered by Cetuximab. The researchers discovered that newly enclosing the activity of an oversupply of the protein, ERBB3, prompted by high protein Heregulin jumped HER2/neu, or by a similar protein,. In both cases, the new growth news from Cetuximab are not affected.
"Newly activated a critical pathway, which is usually blocked by Cetuximab, and in this way undermines the Cetuximab function," says Janne, co-author of the study with Kazuhiko Nakagawa, MD, PhD, Kinki University. "Since Cetuximab newly affected is not, this is an easy way for cancer, against the drug resistant become."
The results suggest that an effective treatment for cancers, which are the combination of Cetuximab with new-inhibiting drug Cetuximab-resistant from start or for those who may be resistant in the course of time, the authors say the study. Several such inhibitors have been already approved, go through during another clinical study.
"We hope that the results of our study will inspire the development of clinical trials to overcome Cetuximab resistance," East noticed. "We have identified, biomarkers that can be used to select Cetuximab-resistant patients, who benefit from a combination of Cetuximab and new inhibitors can."
Janne estimates that up to 40% of colorectal cancers Cetuximab resistant when first diagnosed. He states that although the new way for many cases of Cetuximab resistance can be responsible, there is too a similar role no doubt other ways, have yet to discover the play. More research is needed, the new role to confirm resistance to Cetuximab and strategies for the testing of new inhibitors and Cetuximab in clinical trials.
Medium for the study Bellin Research Fund was provided by grants from the national institutes of health, the American Cancer Society, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Hazel and Samuel.

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