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Drugs designed to treat blood and other malignant diseases may also boost the effectiveness of radiation therapy for low-grade brain tumors in adults, according to a recent study.
About 36 percent of primary brain tumors are meningiomas. Most can be effectively treated with surgery, although individuals with difficult-to-treat tumors may require radiotherapy. This can result in serious side effects and radiation damage to the brain and may also lead to tumor growth from treatment resistance.
A new study by researchers at the University of Plymouth’s Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence not only looked in detail at the effects of radiation damage, but also looked at ways to reduce it.
Using meningioma cells, the researchers found that radiation-induced damage caused the cells to increase production of an enzyme called histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), which has previously been found to contribute to tumor growth.
However, by using the HDAC6 inhibitor Cay10603 before radiotherapy, they were able to inhibit cellular growth – and increase cell death – in meningioma samples.
The study – which was published in the journal eBioMedicine – was led by Dr Juri Na and Professor Oliver Hanemann, and they say their findings represent a potentially promising approach to improving treatment outcomes for malignant meningioma.
The research builds on extensive and ongoing work being carried out by the Plymouth-based Centre of Excellence, looking at the possibility of repurposing already approved drugs to help patients with brain tumours.
Dr. Na, senior research fellow and lead author of the study, said, “Cay10603 is developed to target HDAC, a common target for some approved blood cancer drugs. But our study shows that when used with radiotherapy, the drug reduces tumor cell growth and enhances tumor cell death. This means that this combination treatment will kill cancer cells more efficiently and avoid the severe side effects caused by heavy radiation treatment, because we can give a lower dose of radiation with Cay10603.”
Professor Hanemann, Director of the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth, said: “Pan-HDAC inhibitors have been approved by both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, but K10603 is not currently licensed in the UK. And no HDAC inhibitors like it have been used in clinical settings. This means there are still many steps to go before patients can directly benefit from this treatment, but it is certainly a positive development when you consider the lack of current treatments available for meningioma patients.”
Brain Tumour Research funds ongoing research at dedicated centres across the UK. It also campaigns for the government and major cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours to accelerate new treatments for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind calls for a national annual spend of £35 million to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
Dr Karen Noble, Director of Research, Policy and Innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are delighted to see this promising new approach being developed by the team at our Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth. We need to continue funding this early stage research as this is the only way we will find new and better treatments. We hope this impressive work will lead to clinical trials for meningioma patients.”
Katie Everett, 31, from Romsey, Hampshire, was diagnosed with meningioma in July 2021. She has had two operations and six weeks of radiotherapy. Her most recent MRI scan in February 2024 was stable and showed no growth, but she is now on thyroid and hormone medication.
She said: “This development is really exciting and it’s a relief to know there’s something out there that can help people like me. When I was in hospital I met a woman who had multiple tumours in her brain and had to have radiotherapy multiple times. It’s great to know this will help people like her in the future.”
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