How Arthritis Drug can Treat Rare Type of Blood Cancer

Polycythemia Vera is a rare type of blood cancer, which causes an overproduction of Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Currently, available treatments for Polycythemia Vera do not slow the disease progression. A research team at the University of Sheffield has discovered that a commonly used arthritis drug can effectively treat blood cancer. Methotrexate (MTX) is a drug commonly used to treat arthritis which is also on the World Health Organization list of essential medicines. MTX works by directly inhibiting the molecular pathway responsible for causing disease.