Cancer cell protein can resist chemotherapy
Australian researchers have solved a depressing medical mystery – why many children successfully treated for leukaemia – and others suffering from cancer – die from a relapse of the disease.
A team of Sydney scientists, led by the Children’s Cancer Institute, has found that a protein in cancer cells is able to resist some forms of chemotherapy. Howeve, they are optimistic that they will find a way to counteract the problem and save lives.
Twenty per cent of children successfully treated for cancer will die after a relapse of the disease. Sometimes they’re beaten by an infection but often they mysteriously don’t respond to drugs that previously helped them.
Scientists studying the most common childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, have discovered one reason for the problem – a chemotherapy drug called an antimicrotubule which targets the rapidly dividing cancer cells – is being blocked.
Drug resistance is a major clinical problem in the treatment of cancer, but the Sydney researchers are optimistic that they will be able to develop strategies to ultimately overcome these type of resistance mechanisms, whether it’s by developing a new agent, or being able to use existing agents in better combinations.
The researchers believe they could be used in the treatment of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and other lymphomas. It is also likely that the mechanisms of resistance identified in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia are likely to be found in other types of cancers where these agents are used.
