An English discovery could revolutionize the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have identified a double drug therapy capable of slowing the growth of tumor cells and promoting their death, even in cases that are most resistant to traditional hormonal treatments.
The new approach combines fadraciclib, a drug that acts on the MCL1 gene, with ipatasertib or capivasertib, molecules capable of blocking AKT, a protein that promotes tumor growth. Both targets — MCL1 and AKT — play crucial roles in prostate cancers that have lost the PTEN gene or have PI3K pathway activation, conditions that make the disease more aggressive and difficult to treat.
When the two drugs are used together, the effect is surprising: tumor cells lose their ability to multiply and undergo programmed death. In contrast, researchers noted that each drug alone does not produce the same results.
Towards new personalized therapies
According to experts, this combination could pave the way for new personalized therapies, aimed precisely at the genetic alterations that make tumors refractory to hormonal drugs.
In fact, up to 40% of patients with advanced prostate cancer have mutations in the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway. For them, treatment options today are limited. If the next phases of the study confirm the results, the combination of fadraciclib and ipatasertib or capivasertib could offer new hope.
Another relevant aspect is that the proposed approach does not introduce entirely new molecules, but reuses drugs that already exist or are under development, thus reducing the time needed to move to clinical trials on humans.
What it means for patients
For men living with resistant prostate cancer, this discovery represents an important step towards more effective and less invasive therapies. Scientists underline that the results are still preliminary, but the direction is clear: target the tumor’s weak points by acting on multiple fronts simultaneously.
The goal is to prevent cancer cells from “adapting” and finding new ways to survive, as often happens with traditional treatments.
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