New drug could ‘cure’ aggressive brain cancer – stopping tumours in their tracks

ONE of the most aggressive types of cancer is looking more beatable thanks to an “exciting” breakthrough.

Patients with glioblastoma - a fast-growing type of cancer that affects the brain and spinal cord - tend to survive just 15 months from the moment of diagnosis.

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And currently, few successful long-term treatments are available.

But scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have made a discovery that may offer real hope.  

The team found that circadian clock proteins - which control our natural rhythms, like when we wake up and when we fall asleep - could be involved in the growth of glioblastoma tumours.

These proteins may also explain why people often do not remain in remission after cancer treatment, and see their glioblastoma come back.

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Keck researchers identified a small molecule drug, called SHP656, that could be used to target those clock proteins and treat the devastating disease.

“In the vast majority of patients, the cancer returns. And when it returns, it’s resistant to chemotherapy and radiation,” said Professor Steve Kay at Keck.

Kay and his team believe the disease often returns because of cancer stem cells that spread fast by hijacking the body’s circadian clock mechanisms.

But SHP656 could be used to put a stop to that.

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“This is a potent molecule that’s very exciting to us in terms of its potential for deployment against glioblastoma,” said Kay.

Clinical trials are now in motion and the team hopes to begin the next phase in glioblastoma patients within two to three years.

Glioblastomas are grade 4 brain tumours and are a type of glioma, one of the most common types of primary brain tumours.

The cancer begins in the brain and almost never spreads to other parts of the body.

However, its complexity makes it difficult to treat.

There are no known causes of glioblastoma making treatment even trickier.

The first line of treatment is surgery to try and cut the tumour out.

However, it's very difficult to remove the tumour without harming healthy parts of the brain.

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Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can be helpful to stop the tumour cells growing and spreading.

But despite the high intensity of the treatment, the cancer usually recurs.