Common Blood Pressure Drug Boosts Cancer Treatment

Topic: Health

A new study found that a common blood pressure drug called telmisartan can make cancer treatment more effective. Researchers at Dartmouth Cancer Center combined telmisartan with another cancer drug, olaparib, and saw improved results in lab tests.

Researchers at the Dartmouth Cancer Center have made an exciting discovery about a common medication used to treat high blood pressure. They found that this medication, called telmisartan, can boost the effectiveness of a type of cancer treatment called PARP inhibitors.

PARP inhibitors are medicines that target cancer cells with damaged DNA. They work by taking advantage of defects in the way certain cancer cells repair their DNA. However, these drugs don't work for many patients because their tumors don't have the right kind of DNA damage. The Dartmouth team wanted to see if telmisartan could make tumors more sensitive to PARP inhibitors.

In lab tests, they combined telmisartan with olaparib, a type of PARP inhibitor. They found that this combination increased DNA damage inside cancer cells and activated the immune system to attack the tumor. The researchers believe that this is why the combination worked so well.

Telmisartan is part of a class of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). The Dartmouth team compared telmisartan with other ARBs and found that its cancer-enhancing effects were unique within the class. They also discovered that telmisartan lowered levels of PD-L1 inside tumor cells, which is a protein that many cancers use to avoid detection by the immune system.

The researchers are excited about their findings and have already launched two clinical trials to test the combination in patients with prostate cancer and ovarian cancer.

Why It Matters

This discovery could lead to more effective cancer treatment for patients who don't respond well to current therapies. It's also a great example of how scientists can repurpose existing medications to tackle complex health problems.

Key Facts

• Telmisartan is a common blood pressure medication that has been used for over 20 years.
• The study was conducted by researchers at the Dartmouth Cancer Center in collaboration with other institutions.
• The combination of telmisartan and olaparib showed improved results in lab tests, increasing DNA damage inside cancer cells and activating the immune system to attack the tumor.
• Telmisartan is part of a class of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).
• Two clinical trials are currently underway to test the combination in patients with prostate cancer and ovarian cancer.

Key Terms

PARP inhibitors

Medicines that target cancer cells with damaged DNA.

PD-L1

A protein that many cancers use to avoid detection by the immune system.

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)

A class of drugs used to treat high blood pressure, including telmisartan.

Implications

This discovery could lead to more effective cancer treatment for patients who don't respond well to current therapies. It's also a great example of how scientists can repurpose existing medications to tackle complex health problems.