A new oral drug which proved to be effective in combating breast cancer was recently discovered to have the potential to fight other types of cancer. A new research found that the drug palbociclib inhibits the activity of enzymes CDK4 and CDK6 which cause the formation of tumors related to most cancers.
"All living cells undergo cell division and palbociclib's unique capacity to halt the cell division process therefore has potentially broad applicability," said the study's lead author, Amy Clark, who is an assistant professor at Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Clark noted, "Pairing palbociclib with other anti-cancer therapies such as endocrine therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy can create a powerful combinatorial effect with real promise for addressing a variety of cancers."
In their research, Clark and her co-authors observed that the early trials of palbociclib have shown promise of effectiveness in treating cases of lymphoma, sarcoma and teratorma. Such tumors are rare and often affect younger patients.
In both and breast cancer trials, the drug has been shown to be safe if taken only once a day. One of its main adverse effects is reversible neutropenia which refers to an abnormally low count of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that aids in keeping infections at bay. Other side effects of the drugs include fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, constipation and rash.
A phase two trial of the study showed that among 17 patients with previously treated mantle-cell lymphoma, palbociclib yielded one complete response and two partial responses. Five patients under the phase 2 trial also had a progression-free survival of more than one year.
Another phase 2 trial was conducted among 29 sarcoma patients who were treated with palbociclib. The drug gave most patients a progression-free survival of 66 percent at 12 weeks.
In the UK, palbociclib is currently being used as a part of a clinical trial to treat postmenopausal women struggling with breast cancer.
