A drug from the same family licensed for use in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and blood cancer could transform the treatment of meningioma - the most common form of primary brain tumour in adults.
Scientists at the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth carried out the research, using patient samples in the laboratory, and the results have been published in the journal Cell Death and Disease.
Around 3,500 adults are diagnosed with meningiomas each year and with no chemotherapy drugs proving effective, the main treatment is surgery. However, some people cannot have surgery safely due to the size or location of the tumour, and for those patients radiotherapy as the only treatment option. Unfortunately, in more aggressive forms of the disease, the tumour can become resistant to damage caused by radiotherapy, reducing its effectiveness.
As part of their ongoing work to uncover new treatment, the scientific team - led by
[STAFFMEMBER]
"> Dr Juri Na and [STAFFMEMBER]
"> Professor Oliver Hanemann - explored whether a drug called dacinostat could help improve the impact of radiotherapy on meningioma.
Dacinostat belongs to a family of drugs known as HDAC (Histone Deacetylase) inhibitors, which affect how cells control their DNA and respond to damage. HDAC inhibitors have already shown promise in cancer therapy with three currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of various blood cancers and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Using patient samples to create models of meningioma in the laboratory, Dr Na and her team demonstrated that treating tumour cells with low doses of dacinostat before radiotherapy increased DNA damage and cell death, and reduced tumour growth.
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