A drug developed as a male contraceptive may be able to treat testicular cancer, researchers have reported.
A German-Swiss study found that the drug JQ1 activates apoptosis in cancer cells.
So far the drug has been tested successfully in mouse models of the disease.
The researchers say it also shows promise as a combination drug.
The research has been undertaken at the University of Bonn, Germany, and at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, together with researchers at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA.
JQ1 was designed to block sperm maturation and is able to inhibit certain genes.
The findings have been reported in the journals Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Oncotarget.
Researcher Sina Jostes said: "In a testicular cancer mouse model, the tumours began to shrink after administering JQ1.
"In contrast, healthy skin cells seem to tolerate JQ1 very well."
The bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 triggers growth arrest and apoptosis in testicular germ cell tumours in vitro and in vivo. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine December 2016; doi: 10.1111/jcmm.13059
A signaling cascade including ARID1A, GADD45B and DUSP1 induces apoptosis and affects the cell cycle of germ cell cancers after romidepsin treatment; Oncotarget December 2016; doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.11647
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