Combining two medicines may help treat childhood brain cancer: Study

A team of Australian researchers has tested a new way of treating childhood brain cancer by combining two medicines in lab studiesThe study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine found that using the two treatments together may work better than using either on its ownThe team from the Childrens Cancer Institute and University of New South Wales tested a combined therapy approach on a group of difficulttotreat brain tumours diffuse midline gliomas DMG in the labThis group includes diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma DIPG a rare but fatal childhood brain cancer and a type of DMG Children diagnosed with DIPG usually survive for about 12 monthsWe recognise that no single drug treatment is able to eradicate the most aggressive of brain cancers on its own said Conjoint Associate Professor Maria Tsoli from UNSWShe said this is what led the researchers to see if combining treatments could work betterUNSW Conjoint Professor David Ziegler said one of the biggest challenges with these tumours is that thousands of genes are switched on at the same time driving the cancers growthIt has proven extremely difficult to find a way to switch them all off he saidThe researchers said that DMG cells grow out of control because of changes that disrupt normal gene activityThe study discovered a promising combination of drugs that successfully shuts down the transcription process effectively switching off thousands of genes at once they explainedThe team focused on two important proteins involved in transcription FACT and BET found at high levels in cancer cells Drugs that block these proteins already exist but when used on their own they only slow the cancer slightlyBut when used together the cancer cells died in laboratory experimentsExperiments in mice showed that it slowed tumour growth and helped the mice live longerThe researchers also found the treatment activated signals linked to the immune system This means the cancer cells may become easier for the bodys immune system to recognise and targetBecause of this the researchers think that adding an immunebased treatment such as CAR Tcell therapy could work even better in the futureThe researchers said both types of drugs are already being developed for use in patients as they are now in clinical trialsThis 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