Duke Scientists Identify Method of Action for Common Chemotherapy Drugs

Contact: Amara Omeokwe Phone: [phone] Email: [e-mail] https://www.dukehealth.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on Tuesday, June 14, 2016
DURHAM, N.C. -- A study by scientists at Duke Health is providing insight into how certain commonly-used chemotherapy drugs work, potentially opening new ways to enhance the benefits of treatment for cancer patients.
The scientists focused on antimetabolites, chemotherapy drugs that target metabolism in cancer cells and induce cell death. These drugs are commonly used to treat colon, lung and blood cancers.
Their study, published this week in the journal Cell Reports, sought a clearer understanding of the molecular mechanisms at play when treatment with antimetabolites proves effective.
The researchers found in several experimental models, including cultured cancer cells, that altering the cancer cells’ metabolism led to certain nutrients actually spilling out of the cells, instead of being incorporated as building blocks to make new cancer cells.
The study’s authors suggest that monitoring these excreted nutrients could be a means of assessing how well cancer cells are responding to the antimetabolite therapies. While antimetabolite chemotherapy is widely used, the authors note that it can be highly toxic with varying effectiveness.
“In the future, these mechanisms could possibly be used to either identify patients who would respond to these drugs, or to monitor these metabolic mechanisms in patients when they are undergoi...

Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - June 15, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news