Researchers Report New Class of Drugs Attacks Colon Cancer

A new class of drugs based on a drug widely used in the treatment of cancer has proven highly effective against colon cancer in mice studies, according to researchers at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.

The new compounds are based on Hydroxyurea, a drug first synthesized 125 years ago that has been widely used over the past 40 years to treat cancer, including melanoma, metastatic ovarian cancer, chronic myelogenous leukemia and, more recently, sickle cell anemia.

Newer drugs based on hydroxyurea do not seem to have the serious side effects associated with previous drugs derived from hydroxyurea, and were unusually active against colon cancer cells that usually are resistant to chemotherapy, the researchers reported in the International Journal of Cancer.

Investigators tested the drugs against colon cancer implants in mice. One of the compounds tested blocked tumor growth at doses that did not appear to be toxic. The same compound also showed activity against small-cell lung cancer and malignant melanoma.

Other Sources: International Journal of Cancer