Researchers Created A New Cancer Drug Inspiring From “Trojan Horse”

Jyotis - Feb 12, 2019

A small part of patients realized that their tumours stopped growing or shrank after they used this cancer drug.

“Trojan Horse” is a term to remind us of a famous story named “The Iliad” when the Greeks secretly ordered a group of soldiers to hide in a huge wooden horse, a gift they gave to the winner. At midnight, they suddenly came out of the horse and opened the gates to welcome the Greek army. The Trojan city was beaten in the blink of an eye, marking the ending of the long-lasting war.

And now, researchers from the UK have applied the same tactics to struggle against cancers and the results seem to be extremely satisfactory.

The researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research or ICR, London partnered with the ones from the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust to develop a new kind of cancer drug named tisotumab vedotin or TV. This drug works based on the combination between an antibody and chemotherapy.

When the antibody adheres to markers on the surface of cancer cells, and next, these cells will go and hide inside the drug of chemotherapy which fights against them right after that, similar to the tactics the Greeks used in the war mentioned above.

On February 07^th, the researchers revealed the information on the clinical trial of tisotumab vedotin in an article on The Lancet Oncology journal.

The trial gathered 147 participants who are in the fight against various cancers, from cervical, esophageal, to ovarian. Most of these patients had their cancers being in the metastatic stage. That means some common methods of treatment didn’t work towards them.

According to a statement from the researchers, a small part of patients realized that their tumours stopped growing or shrank after they used this cancer drug. Towards some patients, it showed a positive effect in about 5.7 months, while the others could enjoy the benefits the drug brought in up to 9.5 months.

This cancer drug has been now tested its performance on some other kinds of cancer such as head, neck, pancreatic, and bowel. In addition, the phase 2 trial of TV is being conducted, and hence, it will bring new chances to patients with cervical cancer.