A new treatment may be able to combat the spread of advanced breast cancer, British researchers announced yesterday.
The Cardiff University researchers say they have found a new compound able to tackle a gene thought to lie behind spreading breast cancer.
The gene, Bcl3, is now thought to have a critical role in the development of metastatic cancer, they say.
Researchers at the university reported their findings a year ago – and now have used computer analysis to design a drug to deactivate the gene.
The drug has already been tested on laboratory mice, successfully stopping metastatic cancer.
The researchers are now planning clinical trials of the new treatment.
Researcher Dr Richard Clarkson said: “We showed that suppressing this gene reduced the spread of cancer by more than 80.
“Our next goal was to then find a way to suppress Bcl3 pharmacologically. Despite great improvements in therapy of early stage breast cancer, the current therapeutic options for patients with late stage metastatic disease are limited.
“There is therefore a clear unmet clinical need to identify new drugs to reverse or at least to slow down disease progression.”
Cancer Research 15 January 2013; 73(2)
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