The word ‘cancer’ just carries with it so much weight. The statistics say that it’s almost certain that you know someone who has died of cancer or is currently suffering with it. So many people are affected by the disease so it’s no surprise that so much research goes into finding new treatments. To that end, researches have now discovered a protein that could be a pivotal target for cancer treatments of the future.
The international team of researchers, led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, found that a protein in cellular transformation can make cancer cells more resistant to treatment. It’s thought that if this protein can be taken away or reduced, it could be hugely beneficial to current cancer treatments. This makes the protein a very inviting target for drugs companies looking to battle cancer.
The protein is known to be involved in the process that generates cancer stem cells. There are less cancer stem cells than other tumour cells, but research suggests that they are tied to cancer progression and resistance to treatment.
The team also discovered that sunitinib, a cancer drug, may now have a new role in the treatment of triple-negative, claudin-low breast cancer. This form of cancer is especially difficult to treat, so the progress could be very important.
It seems that sunitinib is quite effective in stifling the growth of cancer stem cells. The researchers were pleased by these results as it indicates that there is a drug already on the market that can be effective in treating the problem.
While more research is necessary to find the pivotal ways in which the drugs could work against the stem cells, it is definitely a step in the right direction. That’s one more little victory for science against cancer.
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