Drug Significantly Reduces Triple Negative Brain Metastases in Mice

The drug Vorinostat prevented the formation of brain metastases of triple negative breast cancer in mice by 62 percent, according to research in the September 29 journal Clinical Cancer Research. The drug crosses the blood-brain barrier, which in the past has been a literal wall to drugs entering the brain, making brain cancer largely untreatable. According to the study’s researchers, from the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, Vorinostat works on both strands of the cancer DNA, slowing the rate of tumor growth. They suggest that it might be an effective cancer fighter in combination with other drugs or radiation.

Source: Palmieri D, Lockman PR, et al. Vorinostat Inhibits Brain Metastatic Colonization in a Model of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Induces DNA Double-Strand Breaks. Clin Cancer Res. Sept. 29, 2009. Vol.15, No. 19.