From HealthNewsDigest.com

Cancer Issues
New Ways to Fight Blood Cancers
By
Jul 21, 2015 - 9:49:53 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Developing new drugs to fight complex cancers can be a long, expensive journey with certain pitfalls. To combat this challenge, hematologist/oncologist Reem Karmali, MD, is exploring how to use existing medications in different ways to develop novel treatments for hematologic malignancies.

Specifically, Karmali's research focuses on using a commondiabetes medication (Metformin) as an adjunct to standard chemotherapy for patients with aggressive lymphomas and leukemias. "Observational data shows that lymphoma patients who received chemotherapy but also happened to be on Metformin have improved outcomes and survival," Karmali says.

Here, she discusses Metformin's use and the future potential of her research.

What is the relationship between diabetes medications and treatment for hematologic malignancies?

Karmali: The insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway (a pathway involved in insulin signaling) is very relevant to tumor proliferation and survival. Research suggests that people who have higher insulin levels or insulin resistance tend to be more prone to cancers, including hematologic cancers.

Knowing that insulin may have a role in proliferation, we thought we could counter the effects of insulin signaling with anti-diabetic medication to see if that affects the response of a patient's cancer to standard chemotherapy.

What are you looking for in your research?

We have looked at protein components of this pathway that could have bearing on the aggressive nature of hematologic malignancies. From there, we identified specific proteins within the pathway to give us a sense of how an individual's cancer is going to behave.

We are now looking at how Metformin affects cancer cell growth, proliferation and protein markers involved in the insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway.
These changes will be associated with the survival of a patient to determine how it all comes together.

What is the benefit of using an existing drug like Metformin?

We have been using Metformin to treat diabetes for years, so we have a good understanding of its safety profile, and it is not terribly toxic. Also, if it circumvents relapse, we would not have to use more toxic second lines of therapy. Additionally, many of the newer drugs are very expensive. Metformin is inexpensive, so there are obvious economic implications, as well.

Why is this type of research so important to hematologic cancers?

Research often drives treatment plans and prognosis for these types of cancers. This research could help improve upon how a patient responds to chemotherapy and the length of time that a response is maintained. Ultimately, it could help improve the survival rates for lymphomas and leukemias.

This interview is taken from the Rush University Cancer Center's 2014 Annual Report, which is available online.

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