Anticoagulants against metastases
The use of anticoagulants reduces the number of cancer metastases in the brain
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
The effectiveness of experimental therapy is due to the fact that the dissolution of blood clots, as it turned out, directly affects the risks of penetration of cancer cells into the brain. Probably, the therapy will quickly reach clinical trials, since long-term use of anticoagulants has already shown safety for humans.
Brain metastases are characteristic of various types of tumors, including melanoma, breast and lung cancer. For example, in the last stages of melanoma, brain metastases are formed in almost half of all cases. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center sought to find a way to treat and prevent these complications in order to increase patient survival.
Article by Feinauer et al. Local blood coagulation drives cancer cell arrest and brain metastasis in a mouse model published in the journal Blood – VM.
From previous studies, they knew that anticoagulants – drugs that prevent the formation of blood clots can have a beneficial effect on the prognosis of certain types of cancer. The authors suggested that anticoagulants affect the process of cancer metastasis and began to study the effect of drugs on mouse models with breast cancer and melanoma.
First they saw that the tumor cells circulating through the bloodstream were trapped in the capillaries of the brain.
Metastasis is possible if cancer cells can pass into the brain tissue through the vessel walls, scientists explain. It turned out that blood clots act as an assistant at this stage.
Observations have shown that blood clots quite often form around a cluster of cancer cells and further help them penetrate through the walls of blood vessels into the brain. For comparison, cancer cells not surrounded by blood clots could not reach the brain and form new cancer foci.
"Probably, blood clots help cells to attach to the capillary for a long time and prepare for passage through the wall," commented the results of observations of the study author Frank Winker. Cancer cells, in turn, seem to interfere with the complex process of blood clotting and contribute to an increase in the number of blood clots.
Then they began testing a thrombin inhibitor, a blood clotting factor, to reduce the number of brain metastases. Their hypothesis turned out to be correct.
Significantly fewer metastases formed in mice after taking the anticoagulant dabigatran than in the control group. Inhibition of another blood clotting factor (von Willebrand factor) with the help of specific antibodies also reduced the formation of blood clots and, accordingly, the number of metastases in the brain.
In the upper row: inhibition of blood clotting factor (von Willebrand factor) by specific antibodies reduces the formation of brain metastases (colored red) in mice. Figure from the press release of Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Anticoagulants reduce the number of brain metastases in mice – VM.
Currently, the team is figuring out exactly which types of cancer can benefit the most from such therapy.
In the future, this will allow either prescribing preventive doses in advance to prevent the development of metastases at an early stage, or treating complications already at advanced stages.
Given the good tolerability of these drugs in humans for a long period (for the prevention of stroke), scientists hope for the effectiveness and safety of therapy for cancer patients.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru