A drug used widely to combat epilepsy has been found to reduce the growth and spread of breast cancer. Researchers in the Department of Biology at the University of York demonstrated that phenytoin, a drug which inhibits epilepsy by targeting sodium channels, could have wider use in cancer therapy.
These channels, known as VGSCs, exist in the membranes of excitable cells, such as neurons, and are involved in transmission of electrical impulses. They are also present in breast cancer cells where they are thought to help the spread of tumors.
In research published in the journal Molecular Cancer, the York team found that "repurposing" antiepileptic drugs, such as phenytoin, that effectively block the sodium channels, could provide a novel therapy for cancer.
The researchers found that treatment with phenytoin, at doses equivalent to those used to treat epilepsy significantly reduced tumor growth in laboratory experiments.
“This is the first study to show that phenytoin reduces both the growth and spread of breast cancer tumor cells,” said Will Brackenbury, M.D., who led the research. "This indicates that re-purposing antiepileptic and antiarrhythmic drugs is worthy of further study as a potentially novel anti-cancer therapy."
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