We’re extremely glad to announce that, according to expert advice, we have new success coming down the cancer-treatment road. Check out the latest one below.
New success in cancer therapy
An approved cancer therapeutic which was once used in only 1 percent of cancers, could have significant uses in the remaining 99 percent, according to a new study.
“Ivosidenib, previously called AG-120, may be applicable to the large majority of cancers,” said senior author Dr. Jordan Winter, division chief of surgical oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland.
Winter explained that a therapeutic had previously only been used for cancers with a specific mutation in the IDH1 gene, which made up only 1 percent of cases.
However, recent research has shown that this same therapeutic can also be effective for the remaining 99 percent of cancers where the IDH1 gene is normal, but only under certain conditions such as a low magnesium environment.
The IDH1 gene plays a crucial role in helping cancer cells survive in harsh and nutrient-deprived conditions.
According to Dr. Ali Vaziri-Gohar, the lead author of the study, when cancer cells experience a lack of oxygen, glucose or glutamine, they require a defense mechanism to protect them, which is where the important molecule IDH1 comes into play. The study was published on June 9.
In nutrient-deprived environments, the IDH1 gene becomes active and produces proteins that help to neutralize the reactive oxygen species that are generated in such environments. If left unneutralized, these reactive species can cause considerable damage to cells, leading to the stunting of cancer cell growth or their death.
To combat this, Ivosidenib, a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is used to inhibit the mutated version of IDH1 in pancreatic cancer, thus sensitizing the cancer cells and leading to their death.
The researchers have discovered that the therapeutic is effective against wild-type IDH1 cancers, which raises hopes that it could be used against a variety of cancers including acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the immune cells that is already being treated with this drug, as well as brain cancer, among others.
