Scientists from the University of East Anglia have developed a drug for bone cancer that extends the lifespan of metastasis-free mice by 50%. Research published Journal of Bone Oncology.
Primary bone cancer begins in the bone rather than originating elsewhere and spreading in the bone. This disease mainly affects children. About 52 thousand cases are recorded annually in the world. Current treatment is debilitating and includes chemotherapy and limb amputation. At the same time, the five-year survival rate is only 42%, as bone cancer spreads rapidly to the lungs.
The scientists collected bone and tumor samples from 19 patients at the Royal Orthopedic Hospital in Birmingham. As it turns out, the RUNX2 gene is activated in primary bone cancer and is associated with the rapid spread of cancer.
Later, biologists developed the drug CADD522, which inhibits the RUNX2 protein, and tested it on mice. Metastasis-free survival increased 50% without chemotherapy or surgery.
The drug was effective in all major bone cancer subtypes and did not cause the toxic side effects of chemotherapy.
The lead investigator, Dr Darrell Green, of Norwich Medical School, said he decided to study primary bone cancer after his best friend died of the disease in his teenage years.
The drug is currently undergoing official toxicological evaluation and human trials may begin soon.