‘Game-changing’ treatment for prostate cancer could be available to patients within 4 years

16th January 2020

Scientists part funded by Worldwide Cancer Research have tested close to 1000 existing medicines and discovered that a cheap drug commonly used to treat parasitic worm infection could be a game-changing treatment for prostate cancer.

The drug, called mebendazole, is on the World Health Organisation’s List of Essential Medicines and can be purchased from a pharmacist for less than £2 per pill.

The study from the laboratory of Professor Hing Leung was funded by Worldwide Cancer Research, alongside the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Cancer Research UK.

Recently published in the British Journal of Cancer, the study found that mebendazole worked in combination with the commonly used chemotherapy drug docetaxel to enhance its ability to kill prostate cancer cells and abolished tumour growth in mouse models of prostate cancer.

The researchers found that mebendazole and docetaxel work together to kill prostate cancer cells by disrupting the molecular “scaffold” used by cells to divide. This scaffold is vital for cancer cells to grow and divide and the combination treatment was found to drastically increase cancer cell death.

Dr Linda Rushworth, a researcher at the Institute of Cancer Sciences at the University of Glasgow who worked on the study, said:

“Our study shows that by carrying out large screens on currently available medicines, it is possible to identify drugs that can be repurposed for cancer. Mebendazole and docetaxel have been well tested in patients and, since the safety of both drugs has already been determined, the timescale from lab to clinic is significantly reduced.”

Drug repurposing finds new ways to use existing drugs and fast tracks the process of testing new treatments as the drugs tested have already been used in humans with satisfactory safety records. This makes drug repurposing more time and cost-effective than developing new drugs.

 

Dr Helen Rippon, Chief Executive of Worldwide Cancer Research, said:

“This research could be a real game-changer for prostate cancer patients. Docetaxel is the main chemotherapy used to treat prostate cancer, but many patients end up developing resistance to the drug and their cancer comes back.

“This bold new idea shows how we can use already existing medicines to bolster the effects of chemotherapy and hopefully improve outcomes for people with prostate cancer. We are excited to follow the progress of the research team as they take their work forward into clinical trials.

“Prostate cancer kills nearly 12,000 people every year in the UK. This research is an encouraging first-step towards kinder, more effective treatments that will ultimately save more lives.”

Professor Hing Leung from the Institute of Cancer Sciences at the University of Glasgow, said:

“We are currently developing a clinical study design that will be able to determine the best dose and administration schedule to be used along with docetaxel. The aim would be to allow the drugs to work together while producing the lowest side effects. Once this has been shown to be effective in treating prostate cancer, the combination treatment could be adopted widely in patients with prostate cancer. We think that this could be available to patients within 3-4 years.”

Incredible discoveries like this would not happen without research – and research cannot happen without the support of people like you. If you’re feeling inspired, why not help us make the breakthroughs of the future by donating and starting new cancer cures today?

Donate

Further reading

Research News Angus Cameron
News

Disrupting tumour defences in pancreatic cancer

By understanding how healthy cells in and around the tumour support the growth of cancer, scientists hope to uncover new treatments for pancreatic cancer.

27 October 2020

Kebs Hodivala-Dilke
News

Developing new ways to treat lung cancer

Scientists are using a newly discovered drug to increase the blood flow to the tumours to help other treatments such as chemo and immunotherapy attack the heart of the tumour.

28 September 2019

News

The incredible story behind the lifesaving cancer drug olaparib

To date, the cancer drug olaparib has been used to treat 75,000 patients around the world with certain ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers.

28 September 2019

×

Join our monthly newsletter

Keep up to date with all our latest news, events, groundbreaking research discoveries and much more!

You're now a Curestarter!

Our newsletter usually drops towards the end of each month

Thanks for subscribing