Selected Medicines in Development for Cancer

Interfering with Cancer Cell Metabolism – Glucose plays an important role in the growth of cancer cells and has been used for detection purposes in PET imaging scans. Now, researchers are studying ways to disrupt the way cancer cells metabolize glucose in an effort to deprive them of energy for growth. One medicine in development for pancreatic cancer – which affects more than 40,000 Americans each year – disrupts the biochemical alterations in the conversion of glucose to energy that occurs in many, if not all, types of cancer cells. The altered cancer cell is considered to be a hallmark in the transformation of normal cells to cancer cells. The medicine is designed to disrupt the alteration and its link to a pathway controlling cancer cell growth, development and death.

Inhibiting Tumor Growth Two Ways – Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for about 85 percent of lung cancer cases. It is difficult to treat, especially when it has spread to other parts of the body. About 75 percent of NSCLC patients are diagnosed late with metastatic or advanced disease, where the five-year survival rate is 6 percent. One first-in-class medicine in development targets two different cancer pathways. It inhibits the insulin receptor anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) which is found at high levels in cancer cells where it is believed to play a key role in tumor cell growth and survival. The medicine also inhibits the growth factor c-MET, which has been associated with cell proliferation, motility, invasion and metastasis.

Using Immunotherapy to Kill Cancer Cells – Cancer of the head and neck include cancers of the oral cavity, salivary glands, sinuses and nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx and lymph nodes in the upper neck area. According to the National Cancer Institute, these cancers account for approximately 3 to 5 percent of all cancers in the United States and are more common in men and in people over age 50. One potential medicine in development for head and neck cancer is a first-in-class combination immunotherapy (combining both passive and active immune activity). Passive immunotherapy refers to the use of antibodies created outside the body to destroy cancer cells in a targeted way, while active immunotherapy stimulates the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer.

Alerting the Immune System to Cancer – Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. More than 68,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease each year, and nearly 9,000 will die. A potential new DNA-based immunotherapy targets late-stage metastatic melanoma. The therapy is designed to stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses in primary and metastatic tumors. It alerts the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells, inducing a powerful immune response.

Inhibiting Mutated Cancer Cells – Leukemia is a form of cancer in which abnormal white blood cells take over the body’s bone marrow and prevent it from making enough normal blood cells (white, red and platelets), leaving the patient highly susceptible to serious infections, anemia and bleeding episodes. Each year, more than 43,000 Americans are diagnosed with some form of leukemia and more than 21,000 will die. One medicine in development potentially inhibits the FLT-3 cell receptor that is mutated in about one-third of all patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as other targets thought to play a role in AML. Activation of the receptor by different types of mutations may play an important role for tumor cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis (cell death), and prevention of normal cell development.

Regulating Cancer Cells – Sarcomas are a group of aggressive cancers of the body’s connective tissue. They are divided into two forms bone sarcoma and soft tissue sarcoma. There are more than 10,000 new cases of soft tissue sarcomas diagnosed each year in the United States and nearly 9,000 will die from the disease. Bone sarcomas are rare, with 2,600 new cases and 1,500 deaths each year. A potential medicine in development for both types of sarcoma is an inhibitor of the protein mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) that controls cell growth by regulating cellular processes, including protein synthesis, cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and cell survival.

Increasing Efficacy with Nanoparticles – A potential treatment in development is a nanoparticle containing the anti-cancer medicine docetaxel that is targeted to prostate-specific membrane antigen, a cell surface antigen expressed on the surface of cancer cells and on new blood vessels that feed a wide array of solid tumors. Nanoparticles concentrate the delivery of the anti-cancer agent at the specific disease site, reducing systemic exposure, increasing efficacy and reducing side effects.

Selectively Blocking a Cancer Cell’s Make-up – Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system, with nearly 14,000 deaths each year. A potential first-in-class medicine in development works by selectively inhibiting the polo-like kinase-1 (PLK-1), which is an enzyme crucial for cell division. PLK-1 is expressed in proliferating cells and most tumors. Inhibiting its activity disrupts cell division, which induces cell death and reduces cancer growth.

* From Medicines in Development for Cancer 2011, PhRMA, April 2011. Note: All facts and figures are from the American Cancer Society, except where noted in the text. 

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