Promising Cancer Pill Appears to Kill Tumors

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Facts

  • A new cancer pill called AOH1996, coined using the initials and year of birth of Anna Olivia Healey, who died of neuroblastoma at nine years old, has been dubbed the "cancer-killing pill" due to its apparent ability to "annihilate" solid tumors tested in a lab.1
  • The drug targets a protein called proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which, in its mutated form, helps cancerous tumors grow. Linda Malkas of City of Hope in California said, "PCNA is uniquely altered in cancer cells," which allowed them to target cancer while leaving healthy cells alone.2
  • Pre-clinical studies suggest the drug is effective in treating cells derived from breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin, and lung cancers, with researchers also conducting studies on animals. One patient took the pill in October, but that phase one trial is ongoing and will likely last at least two years.3
  • Malkas claims the drug, which she's been developing for 20 years, "can suppress tumor growth as a monotherapy or combination treatment in cell and animal models without resulting in toxicity."4
  • PCNA had previously been dubbed "undruggable," but with this promising breakthrough, it's now hoped to lead to more personalized, targeted cancer medicines in the future.5
  • However, while acknowledging that the work is promising, some oncologists have cautioned against claiming success before clinical trials have definitively proven the pill's effectiveness in humans.6

Sources: 1Daily Mail, 2New York Post, 3Independent, 4Metro, 5Sky News, and 6FOX 9 Minneapolis.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by IO. Given the drug's success so far and its emergence from the tragic death of a little girl, this story is nothing but inspirational. AOH1996, in conjunction with existing therapies, has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment and clear a path toward non-toxic treatments for patients suffering from this horrible disease.
  • Narrative B, as provided by The Conversation. While news of groundbreaking cancer treatments is always welcome, a one size fits all miracle drug is very unlikely. This is because the various cancer cells out there mutate and adapt in the body — just as animals have done through evolution. For example, due to the unique DNA structure of Melanoma, treatments for that disease must be vastly different than for lung cancer.

Predictions