Impact on glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor that has been asymptomatic for a long time and manifests itself after spreading and reaching large sizes. Modern methods of treatment include surgical removal of the neoplasm, radiation and chemotherapy, but the tumor often recurs or becomes resistant to treatment. The average survival rate after diagnosis is no more than 15 months.

Letrozole is an antitumor drug from the group of aromatase inhibitors, which in 2001 was approved for the treatment of postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Aromatase is an enzyme that participates in the synthesis of estrogens, the suppression of this process inhibits the growth of estrogen–dependent breast cancer.

Pankaj Desai and other researchers from the University of Cincinnati have suggested that aromatase plays a similar role in glioblastoma, and letrozole may be an effective treatment for this tumor.

Earlier laboratory studies showed that the enzyme is present in the cell lines of brain tumors, and further tests revealed a very high content of aromatase in brain tumor samples from the University of California Tumor Bank. However, this did not guarantee that aromatase inhibitors would be as effective in brain tumors as in breast cancer – the blood-brain barrier allows only compounds with certain physical and chemical properties to enter the brain. The researchers chose letrozole because, thanks to its properties, it has the best chance of penetrating the brain. Animal model studies have shown that letrozole is effective, and the research team has begun testing the compound on cells derived from human brain tumor tissues. Letrozole has shown high efficiency in destroying tumor cells.

With the financial support of the Cancer Center and the Brain Tumor Center of the University of California, the group launched a phase 0/1 clinical trial testing which dosage of letrozole is suitable for the treatment of glioblastomas.

The study is still ongoing, but the first results showed that the drug safely reaches its target – tumor tissue. However, it is unlikely that this drug can be used as a monotherapy, the group plans to investigate the effectiveness of combining letrozole with other chemotherapeutic compounds.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Cincinnati: A potential new treatment for brain tumors.