
Blocking the abnormal synthesis of DNA building blocks could restore sensitivity to a chemotherapy used to treat triple-negative breast cancer, according to a study.
Researchers discovered that combining the chemotherapy Adriamycin (doxorubicin) with an inhibitor of nucleotide synthesis known as leflunomide led to significant tumor regression in mice — an outcome that didn’t occur when either drug was used alone.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved leflunomide to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but not cancer.
The study, “Adaptive Reprogramming of De Novo Pyrimidine Synthesis Is a Metabolic Vulnerability in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer,” was published in Cancer Discovery.
Unlike breast cancer subtypes driven by estrogen, progesterone, or the tumor-promoting gene HER2, triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) lack targeted therapies. Doctors use standard-of-care chemotherapy as a first line of treatment against them.
Link para a notícia: Breast Cancer News







