
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known as acute lymphocytic
leukemia or acute lymphoid leukemia, is a form of cancer of the white
blood cells. It is characterized by the overproduction and accumulation of
cancerous, immature white blood cells, known as lymphoblasts.
Despite
treatment improvement, T-cell leukemia remains fatal in 20% of
pediatric and 50% of adult patients. Both CX-4945 and JQ1 are in
clinical trials now as single agents to treat solid and hematological
cancers.
Researchers have determined that these two Phase 1 drugs (CX-4945 and JQ1) can work together to efficiently kill T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells while having minimal impact on normal blood cells. Although both drugs were previously tested as single agents in clinical trials to treat cancers, the success of the combined actions on cancer cells was previously unknown until now. The findings appear in the journal Haematologica.
According to the researchers the efficacy of using a combination of JQ1 and CX-4945 in treating other cancers should also be investigated.
Source: Eurekalert