In a study of mice, researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a new approach that combines an anti-psychotic drug, a statin used to lower high cholesterol levels, and radiation to improve the overall survival in mice with glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest and most difficult-to-treat brain tumors. Researchers found the triple combination extended the median survival 4-fold compared to radiation alone.
Background
Radiation therapy is part of the standard-of-care treatment regimen for glioblastoma, often helping prolong the survival of patients. However, survival times have not improved significantly over the past two decades and attempts to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy through the use of pharmaceuticals have been hampered by the normal tissue toxicity of the drugs and the inability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier.
UCLA researchers previously reported that the first-generation dopamine receptor antagonist trifluoperazine in combination with radiation prolonged survival in mouse models of glioblastoma, but ultimately, the mice become resistant to the therapy. To help overcome this resistance, the team used quetiapine, a second-generation dopamine receptor antagonist, which not only enhanced the efficacy of radiotherapy in glioblastoma but also generated a metabolic vulnerability in the lipid homeostasis. The discovery that the combination induced the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway allowed the team to target this process with statins.
