Pill 'could' cure deadly lung cancer
Scientists say a deadly form of lung cancer could be killed by the drug
A drug which destroys tumours in a form of inoperable lung cancer has been developed by scientists.
The treatment works by blocking the growth of the cancer cells, eventually causing them to self destruct.
In early clinical trials, the drug killed all traces of the disease in 50% of the mice it was tested on, as well as blocking the cells' ability to resist standard chemotherapy.
The study, which was carried out by a team at Imperial College London, appears in the journal Cancer Research.
Around 97% of people with small cell lung cancer die within five years of being diagnosed.
The disease is difficult to treat because it progresses quickly ensuring that surgery is rarely an option, while a growth hormone called FGF-2 speeds up the division of cancer cells, as well as making them resistant to chemotherapy.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Professor Michael Seckl, the molecular oncologist who led the study at Imperial College London, said: "If you get diagnosed with this cancer your chances of surviving are very small. Over the last 30 years we have made very little progress in its treatment."
The new drug, known as PD173074, works by blocking FGF-2 from attaching to tumour cells, the researchers said.
Testing of PD173074 will begin on humans next year.
Professor Seckl added: "I have been working on small cell lung cancer for many years and to find something that can take a measurable piece of tumour and make it go away is wonderful."
Dr Joanna Owens, science information manager for Cancer Research UK, which part-funded the study, hailed the results but added that more clinical trials are needed to see if the drug will work on patients.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in Britain, accounting for more than one in five fatalities, according to Cancer Research UK.
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