New targeted treatment could treat thousands more cancer patients

Breakthrough scientists have discovered that a new treatment could treat many more types of cancer than previously thought, potentially helping tens of thousands of cancer patients in the UK each year.

The drug Olaparib was developed at the Breakthrough Research Centre to target a form of hereditary breast cancer. Now, scientists have found that Olaparib can also kill cancer cells which have faulty PTEN genes. Faults in the PTEN gene are common in a range of cancers, accounting for between 30 and 80% of breast, prostate, melanoma (skin), endometrial (womb) and colon cancers.

Professor Alan Ashworth, Director of the Breakthrough Research Centre, said: “These results are exciting because they show that PARP inhibitors are potentially a powerful targeted treatment with few side effects which may help a broad range of cancer patients.”

Dr Julia Wilson, Head of Research Programmes and Projects at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “This new class of drugs could potentially make a big difference for many thousands of cancer patients, including some with very limited treatment options. It shows Breakthrough’s focus on turning lab research into patient benefit as quickly as possible is having an impact.”

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