An oral anticancer agent, CX-4945, is now undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with multiple myeloma, advanced solid tumors, or a disorder involving non-cancerous tumors called Castleman’s disease.

CX-4945 is first in its class of CK2 inhibitors.  CK2 is an enzyme that plays a role in the development of cancerous cells through many cellular processes such as cell cycle regulation, signaling events between cells, blood vessel formation, inflammation, and cellular proliferation.  Since CK2 is involved in many processes that lead to the development of cancerous cells, CX-4945…

Clinical trials using a new, highly targeted radiotherapy are currently being carried out in the United Kingdom. This new treatment will allow patients to be given a higher dose of radiation to destroy cancer cells in the bone marrow without harming healthy cells. The two-year trial at South General Hospital will involve 80 patients, half who will receive the new radiotherapy with chemotherapy and half with just chemotherapy.

There are several types of radiation treatments commonly used with multiple myeloma. Local radiation in high doses (often used in conjunction with…

The development of second-generation heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors has reached Phase 3 trials of these agents in several types of cancer.  The success of the second-generation Hsp90 inhibitors is paving the way for major advancements with the third-generation Hsp90 inhibitor drugs.

Heat shock proteins protect cells stressed by elevated temperatures by assisting in protein folding. Hsp90 helps proteins that are associated with the underlying causes of various cancers, including the insulin growth factor-1 receptor in myeloma. Hsp90 inhibitors degrade tumor cells containing mutant forms of specific proteins and…