Surprise findings for cancer drugs - but only in mice
27 March 2009
This research was in mice and doesn't directly apply to humans. 
Dr Annabel Bentley, Assistant Medical Director, Bupa
Experimental drugs may cause cancer in mice to grow, rather than shrink, when given in low doses, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine this week.
Researchers from a variety of universities and institutes in London investigated whether a new class of drug, called integrin inhibitors, slowed cancer growth in mice. They also tested the new drug in cancer cells grown in the laboratory.
The researchers transplanted cancers into mice and tested how two types of integrin inhibitor - called S36578 and cilengitide - affected the development of cancer.
Surprisingly, the scientists found that low doses of S36578 and cilengitide increased the growth of the test cancers in mice. At higher levels they had little effect.
The research was only carried out in mice. The cancer drugs investigated in this study are still being tested in animals or very early stage human trials.
Dr Annabel Bentley, Bupa's Assistant Medical Director, told the health information team: "This research was in mice and doesn't directly apply to humans."
The study may help scientists better understand how tumours grow, so that they can develop more cancer treatments for use in the future.
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Related information
- Cancer - a general overview - health factsheet
- Reynolds AR, Hart IR, Watson AR, Welti JC, et al. Stimulation of tumor growth and angiogenesis by low concentrations of RGD-mimetic integrin inhibitors. Nature Medicine, 2009. Published online 22 March 2009. www.nature.com
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