While drug company researchers work to develop new treatments for malignant mesothelioma, others are dedicating themselves to the question of whether existing drugs might prove effective against multiple conditions, including the rare form of cancer. One such drug is metformin, a medication that successfully controls diabetes. Though scientists had known that it helped control the spread and growth of mesothelioma’s cells, they have only just discovered the mechanism by which it does so.
Study Pursues Whether Communication Breakdown is Shared by Mesothelioma and Diabetes
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is latent within the body for decades, but which spreads aggressively when its tumors grow large enough to manifest symptoms. Researchers from the University of Ferrara in Italy suspected that its uncontrolled spread might be an indication that a protein pathway known as the Notch pathway was not working correctly. A Notch pathway problem is present in diabetes, and is effectively treated by metformin.
Suspecting that a Notch pathway problem was shared by malignant mesothelioma and diabetes, the Italian researchers first tested the cancer to see if it demonstrated the characteristic communication breakdown and – when they found that it was – moved on to see whether metformin would check the cancer’s growth. Just as is the case in the treatment of diabetes, they found that the drug had the desired effect.
Discovery Offers Alternative Treatment for Mesothelioma
Though metformin is not thought to offer a cure for malignant mesothelioma, it may help to slow its progress. The drug is readily available and inexpensive, offering a welcome respite for many patients who have to travel for state-of-the-art treatments that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Writing on their findings in the journal Frontiers in Cell Developmental Biology, lead study author Marika Rossini said, “MPM [malignant pleural mesothelioma] cells showed high levels of Notch1 activation compared to normal pleural mesothelial cells. Metformin treatment hampered MPM cell proliferation and enhanced the apoptotic process, accompanied by decreased Notch1 activation.”
If you or someone you love is seeking effective treatment for malignant mesothelioma, research outcomes like these offer real hope. For more information, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
