Leukemia Drug Could Be Targeted Therapy for TNBC

A drug used to treat leukemia patients shows promise in fighting triple-negative breast cancer, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.

The drug imatinib mesylate targets a protein  found in roughly half of the TNBC tumor samples tested and stops the growth process.

“The next step is to organize a phase one clinical trial, where we would test this drug in a small number of women with this cancer subtype in addition to their regular treatment. We hope to be able to start that process shortly,” said Dr. Wael M. ElShamy, associate professor of biochemistry and researcher at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

If the drug imatinib passes clinical trials, it would be a new targeted therapy for TNBC.  It already has Food and Drug Administration approval for use in humans so that could speed its use for TNBC.  Oncologists currently prescribe imatinib for children and adults with certain types of leukemia.

Read the full news release from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

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