Getting to the Bottom of Intestinal Inflammation and Cancer

One of the dangers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the risk of developing intestinal cancers, such as colorectal cancer. Results from a recent study suggest that fingolimod, a drug already approved to treat multiple sclerosis, could decrease or possibly stop the progression of IBD-related cancers. Using a mouse model, researchers showed that increased production of an enzyme causes intestinal cells to produce more molecules that trigger intestinal inflammation and cancer. Giving fingolimod to the mice decreased these activities. The scientists are planning more experiments to understand the link between inflammatory disease and intestinal cancers and to help test the multiple sclerosis drug as a potential new treatment for IBD-related cancers.
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - Category: Research Source Type: news