AstraZeneca cancer drug trialled for pancreatic cancer
pharmafile | August 24, 2015 | News story | Research and Development |Â Â Â
AstraZeneca is working with the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Arizona to test its cancer drug Lynparza as a treatment for pancreatic cancer.
The study will look at whether Lynparza (olaparib), when combined with chemotherapy, can help people with pancreatic cancer who carry harmful mutations of either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
The trial uses a new class of medications called PARP-inhibitors, which are thought to be particularly effective in patients with the BRCA 1/2 mutation. Around 5-6% of patients carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
The PARP enzyme helps repair damaged DNA, such as that found in cancer cells, and blocking these enzymes prevents the repair, meaning the cancer cells should die.
Patients are first treated with a platinum-based chemotherapy regimen and can be included in the study depending on their initial response. They will be screened for BRCA 1 or 2 mutations and if confirmed, may be eligible for the trial.
“One of the recent research advances has been the realisation that not all pancreatic cancers are based on same genetic background, and that influences their behaviour and response to treatment,” says Dr Tomislav Dragovich, medical oncology and haematology division chief at Banner MD Anderson. “Personalising cancer treatment often involves the option to enrol in a clinical trial.”
Despite recent improvements in treatment options, pancreatic cancer still has a poor prognosis and is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute.
PARP inhibitors like Lynparza are a relatively new but encouraging treatment that it is hoped will help improve the survival rate in pancreatic and other cancers. The European Commission approved Lynparza for ovarian cancer treatment in December 2014, and it is also being trialled for other cancers.
Lynparza was originally developed by KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, which AstraZeneca acquired for £120 million in 2005.
Joel Levy
