A recent study published in Clinical Cancer Research has unveiled the potential of NXP800, a drug initially developed for ovarian and bile duct cancers, in treating advanced prostate cancer resistant to hormone therapies. Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London discovered that NXP800 effectively slows the growth of prostate cancer cells that no longer respond to standard treatments like enzalutamide. The drug operates by targeting the Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) pathway, a “master switch” that aids cancer cells in surviving under stress by producing protective heat shock proteins. Elevated levels of these proteins are associated with more aggressive and treatment-resistant prostate cancers.
Laboratory experiments demonstrated that NXP800 not only reduced the proliferation of hormone-resistant prostate cancer cells but also outperformed enzalutamide in inhibiting tumor growth in advanced prostate cancer models. In mouse studies, tumors in untreated subjects doubled in size within 38 days, whereas only 37% of tumors in NXP800-treated mice reached the same size in the same period. These promising results suggest that NXP800 could offer a new therapeutic avenue for patients with advanced prostate cancer who have exhausted existing hormone-based treatments. The findings pave the way for clinical trials to further assess the drug’s efficacy in this patient population. Click for More Details
