Potential new treatment for head and neck cancers
Source: news.med.miami.edu Author: Charlotte Schubert, Ph.D. Treatment for head and neck cancers is largely stuck in the past. Patients typically receive some combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, treatment approaches that have not changed much over the decades. About 450,000 people die of head and neck cancer worldwide each year. A new study delves into the molecular underpinnings of some of these tumors and posits a more targeted approach toward treatment. The study provides evidence that some head and neck cancers may respond to the drug olaparib or the combination of olaparib with decitabine. Both olaparib and decitabine are approved for use in other tumors but are not used routinely for head and neck cancers. “There has not been a rationale to test them in these tumors,” said study co-leader Lluis Morey, Ph.D., a scientist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The new study provides such a rationale. The findings are in cells and preclinical models of disease. But Sylvester scientists are already conducting further research that could potentially lead to clinical trials in certain head and neck cancer patients. The new study appeared in the journal Genes & Development. Targeting the Histone Molecule Dr. Morey became intrigued by an earlier study showing that about 20% of head and neck tumors had specific types of defects in a molecule called a histone. Histones associate tightly with DNA and help control everything from replication to cell division. Dr. Morey, an associate professor [...]