약물 치료법이 소세포 폐암(small cell lung cancer 또는 SCLC)을 앓고 있는 환자들의 생명을 구하는데 종종 실패하는 원인에 대해서 설명해줄 수 있는 새로운 단서들을 발견해냈다고 과학자들이 금요일(현지시각)에 발표하였다.
Scientists Discover Why Drugs Fail for Lung Cancer
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists said on Friday they had found new clues that might lead to an explanation of why drug therapies so often fail to save the lives of patients with small cell lung cancer.
Dr. Michael Seckl and his team at Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospital, London, hoped their discovery would open the way to designing more effective drugs.
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for a quarter of all lung cancers, and like other forms of lung cancer is notoriously difficult to treat. Only five per cent of patients survive five years after being diagnosed with the disease.
The main drug used to treat SCLC is called etoposide, which works by encouraging cancer cells to "commit suicide." But benefits are usually short-lived as the cells often develop resistance.
The new discovery, reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, shows how a growth factor in the body known as FGF-2 uses a critical signaling molecule, MEK, to bypass etoposide and stop this natural cell suicide from taking place.
"We now believe that FGF-2 uses a double action -- promoting cancer cell growth and making it resistant to chemotherapy," Seckl said in a statement.
"It works in two ways. Firstly it activates two other molecules called S6K1 and S6K2. These send signals to the cell telling it to divide. The cell quickly grows out of control, eventually forming a tumor.
"Secondly it uses another signaling molecule, MEK, to counter the effect of anticancer drugs. And drug resistance is the main reason why so many patients die from the disease."
Seckl added: "All four molecules are targets for new drugs that will block cancer growth and restore its sensitivity to existing treatments. Our aim now is to design and develop these new drugs."
Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadly forms of cancer. In Britain alone, the disease claimed more than 34,000 lives in 1999, making it the most common cause of cancer death.
출처 : http://news.lycos.com/news/story.asp?section=Science&storyId=372564
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