Researchers identify new drug to bypass resistance in deadly childhood cancer

Researchers in Australia have identified a drug that can help overcome treatment resistance in relapsed neuroblastoma the deadly childhood cancerThe discovery could improve neuroblastoma treatment the most common solid tumour in children outside the brain which currently claims nine out of 10 young patients who experience recurrence Xinhua news agency reportedAccording to Australias Garvan Institute of Medical Research the drug combination can bypass the cellular defences these tumours develop that lead to relapseThe team showed that the approved lymphoma drug romidepsin triggers neuroblastoma cell death via alternative pathways bypassing blocked routes to improve chemotherapyresistant cases in childrenResearchers found standard chemotherapy drugs rely on the JNK pathway switch for cell death In relapsed tumours this switch has often stopped working meaning treatments are no longer effectiveThe findings made in animal models showed that romidepsin combined with standard chemotherapy halts tumour growth via alternative celldeath pathways bypassing the blocked JNK pathway common in resistant casesThe combo reduced tumour growth extended survival and allowed lower chemo doses potentially reducing side effects for young children according to the findings published in Science AdvancesldquoFinding a way to overcome the resistant state of relapsed highrisk neuroblastomas has been a major goal for my labrdquo said David Croucher Associate Professor at the Garvan InstituteldquoThese tumours can be highly resistant to chemotherapy ndash and the statistics once patients get to that point are devastating for familiesrdquo he addedRomidepsin is already approved for use in other cancers and has been tested for safety in children which could potentially accelerate the development of the drug as a new treatment option for neuroblastomaHowever any clinical application requires further testing and clinical trials to establish the combinationrsquos safety and efficacy in neuroblastoma Croucher saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever