Mesothelioma Patients May Benefit from Drug Reported to Stop Lung Cancer ... - MesotheliomaHelp.net (blog)

Late last month North Carolina State University researchers reported they could conduct computations on microRNAs that could lead to “new methods of disease detection and treatment.” Now, following in their footsteps, another group of NC State researchers report they have developed a drug that can stop the spread of lung cancer. These two breakthroughs have the mesothelioma community anxious to have this work move from the lab to the bedside and bring vital treatments to mesothelioma patients.

A professor of cell biology in State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Kenneth Adler, collaborated with UC Davis researcher Reen Wu to determine if a compound, or peptide, originally developed to help treat chronic bronchitis and asthma by fighting inflammation would be effective in stopping the growth of lung cancer.

Wu called Adler amazed by the results when the peptide was tested on human cancer cells in mice: “Wow. We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Wu according to an article in the News & Observer. “It stops them moving completely.”

“This could be a breakthrough type of treatment,” added Adler.

Pleural mesothelioma, a pulmonary cancer caused by past asbestos exposure, and lung cancer are among the most difficult cancers to treat. The cancers are aggressive and quickly metastasize leaving patients with limited treatment options. Mesothelioma is often treated with the same protocol as lung cancer, including chemotherapy and radiation.

In a separate study, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that metastasis is the cause of nearly 90 percent of cancer deaths. The National Cancer Institute reports that treatments for patients with metastatic cancer are to control further growth of the cancer or to relieve symptoms caused by it. In some cases, metastatic cancer treatments may help prolong life. Researchers agree that understanding how to stop metastasis is critical for increasing survival in mesothelioma patients.

Using the mouse models the researchers were able to stop the cancer cells in their tracks and prevent further growth. They concluded that these results “suggest a potential use of MARCKS-related peptides in the treatment of lung cancer metastasis.”

The results of the study can be found in an August 19 article in Oncogene.

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Nancy Meredith is a blog and web content writer with more than 20 years of professional experience in the Information Technology industry. She has been writing about Mesothelioma for 4 years. Follow Nancy on Google+