Two Drugs Have Proven Helpful for Advanced Forms of Cancer

New research has revealed two drugs to be both safe and effective in the treatment of individuals with advanced forms of cancer. 

The two medications — one an ATR inhibitor Elimusertib and the other a PARP inhibitor AZD5305 — work via damage control as they are able to halt the activation of DNA damage mechanisms and the growth of tumor cells. During one study, 143 individuals with advanced solid tumors received one or more doses of Elimusertib. The results revealed that 35% of participants showed clinical benefit with disease control for at least four months. In others, the drug was effective for over six months. 

“They confirm things that we already know, but they confirm it scientifically,” explains Dr. Osita Onugha, a thoracic surgeon and assistant professor of thoracic surgery at Saint John’s Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, USA.

The findings were presented in April of 2022 at the American Association of Cancer Research by the lead investigator and associate professor of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, Dr. Timothy Yap. Researchers are now looking into using combination therapies with other anticancer drugs and hoping to perform larger studies with at least 5,000 participants.