Ovarian cancer treatment could soon utilise a new combination of drugs.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic observed the usage of the medicines and their
effects on cancer cells which have resisted conventional treatment methods.
Doctors explained that the findings could be important because many deaths
attributed to ovarian cancer occur when the current drugs become ineffective.
In this new study, ixabepilone and sunitinib were found to activate the RhoB
- a molecule known as a significant factor to drug effectiveness in other
cancer variants.
"We find that with this combination of drugs, RhoB is increased and
cells die," said the study's senior investigator John Copland.
He believes that the concentration of the molecule could also help doctors
identify which patients would benefit most from the drug combination.
According to Cancer Research UK, women over the age of 50 are more likely to
be affected by the disease, which is the second most common gynaecological
cancer.
© Adfero Ltd
Cancer treatment news : 10 December 2011
