Flower power may cut resistance to breast cancer drug tamoxifen
February 17th, 2010 - 2:01 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Feb 17 (ANI): Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center claim tamoxifen, the world’s most prescribed breast cancer agent, along with a compound found in the flowering plant feverfew may prevent initial or future resistance to the drug.
The experts reported the finding online Feb. 12 in FASEB.
“A solution to tamoxifen resistance is sorely needed, and if a strategy like this can work, it would make a difference in our clinical care of breast cancer,” says the study’s lead investigator, Robert Clarke, PhD, DSc, a professor of oncology and physiology & biophysics at Lombardi, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC).
Clarke added that the purified research chemical they tested, parthenolide, a derivative of feverfew, is being tested by other scientists as treatment for a variety of cancers, as well as other health conditions. Feverfew has long been a staple of natural medicine, and is particularly known for its effects on headaches and arthritis.
“The chemical clearly has potential, and we ought to be able to figure out fairly quickly if it can help solve tamoxifen’s resistance problem,” Clarke says.
Tamoxifen is a treatment of choice for breast cancer that is estrogen receptor positive, meaning that the hormone estrogen drives cancer growth. Most newly diagnosed breast cancers fall into that category. But about half of these cancers do not initially respond to tamoxifen, which is designed to block the hormone from binding to the cell’s protein receptor, and many patients that do respond are at risk for developing resistance and cancer relapse. (ANI)
- Cholesterol 'increases breast cancer drug's resistance' - Apr 21, 2009
- Evidence of unusual drug-resistant breast tumours found - Oct 09, 2010
- Mice study shows slight changes in 2 genes launches breast cancer development - May 13, 2010
- Possible clues to tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer patients found - Mar 31, 2011
- Conventional theory of modern drug design challenged - Oct 11, 2010
- Soy food safe for breast cancer survivors - Apr 06, 2011
- New potential target for breast cancer therapy identified - Dec 23, 2010
- Multiple childbirth linked to increased risk of 'triple-negative' breast cancer - Feb 25, 2011
- How progesterone and estrogen increase breast cancer risk - Jan 19, 2011
- Protein involved in leukemia plays mixed role in breast cancer development - Jun 14, 2009
- Female sex hormone regulates weight - Oct 20, 2011
- Estrogen helps women pile on pounds - Oct 06, 2011
- Cough syrup may help predict breast cancer drug's effectiveness - Nov 20, 2010
- Key to get estrogen's benefits without cancer risk found - Jun 24, 2010
- Drug for rare childhood cancer may help prevent prostate cancer spread - Apr 30, 2011
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer drug, breast cancers, cancer agent, cancer growth, cancer relapse, comprehensive cancer center, drug tamoxifen, feverfew, flower power, flowering plant, georgetown university medical, gumc, hormone estrogen, lombardi comprehensive cancer center, natural medicine, plant feverfew, protein receptor, robert clarke, university medical center