Sask. researcher working on new treatment for stage 4 breast cancer
A Saskatchewan researcher is working on developing a new treatment for breast cancer, one with fewer side effects than chemotherapy.
Deborah Anderson, director of research at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, says the new treatment is being designed for metastatic breast cancer patients — cancer that has spread to other organs in the body, known as Stage 4.
The new drug aims to target a molecule, called CLIC3, located outside of the cancer cells.
"The idea behind the drug is it targets a molecule which is secreted, so put outside the cells by cancer cells in the surrounding tissue, and it helps the cancer cells move and migrate away from the primary tumour," Anderson says.
"By inhibiting this target, we can hopefully block metastasis, or at least reduce it. There is currently no drugs to this target, so the project is to develop a drug."
The goal is for patients to use the drug before surgery, to stop the spread as soon as a patient has a diagnosis.
"This would mean that their long-term survival is going to hopefully be prolonged, hopefully they'll have fewer side effects as a result of needing less chemotherapy," Anderson tells CTV News in the University of Saskatchewan lab where the treatment is being created.
Because the drug has a specific target, Anderson says the treatment would be less harsh than chemotherapy.
The drug development is in its early stages. With any new drug, safety testing and trials need to be done before it can be approved by the FDA — a process that can a minimum of five years, Anderson estimates.
"We're very excited to be doing something that might actually positively impact patients rather than discovery research — which is interesting and knowledge-gaining and important, but to ultimately see that come to fruition would be wonderful," Anderson says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.