Lung cancer is the second most common form of lung cancer found in men and women. According to the latest statistics, around 228000 new lung cancer cases and nearly 30% of those patients will have mutations in the KRAS pathway. The researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have published a new study in Cancer Research and they have discovered a new treatment approach to help lung cancer patients. KRAS is a gene that regulates cell signaling in “on” and “off” manner to promote normal cell growth and division.
According to Moffit researchers, the MEK kinase, which is also found in KRAS pathway, could be a possible target for the treatment of lung cancer. Through a series of drug screens, cell line and animal model experiments, they found that lung cancer cells treated with MEK inhibitor trametinib in combination with cytokines resulted in more cell death as compared to treatment with MEK inhibitor alone. In the study, the researchers have found that MEK inhibitors increase the receptors onn the cell surface leading to delivery of sustained cell death signal.
Amer A. Beg, Ph.D., senior member of the Immunology Department and Lung Cancer Center of Excellence at Moffitt and lead author of this study said, “MEK inhibitors alone do not provide strong overall response for this group of patients.”
The research team is planning to further study to combine MEK inhibitors with other immune therapies to provide strong expression of the cytokines. Such studies will help to determine if the modulation of immune microenvironment along with tumor signaling is a viable strategy for lung cancer treatment with KRAS mutations.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only. This is not a substitute for medical advice.