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Breakthrough in precision medicine for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, among others, have studied the benefit of adding an established drug as a novel targeted therapy in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The results suggest that the drug hydroxyurea can increase treatment efficacy at a relatively low cost. The research, which was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, could have significant implications for cancer treatment, including in low-income countries.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer with high mortality that affects around 350 people in Sweden each year. The 5-year relative survival rate after a myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis is 30 percent. One reason for the high mortality is that responses to chemotherapy are often insufficient, and a large proportion of patients relapse a few months to several years after treatment.

SAMHD1, the protein in the leukemia cell, has been shown to act as a resistance factor to the drug cytarabine, which is used to treat AML and other blood cancers. A translational research project, with researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, showed that the drug hydroxyurea, which inhibits the growth of cancer cells, also inhibits SAMHD1 and thus makes chemotherapy with cytarabine more effective.

More efficient in killing leukemia cells

The results are based on a study that included nine patients with AML, where the standard therapy was supplemented with hydroxyurea in order to enhance the effect of cytarabine. The study was conducted between October 2020 and March 2021.

More at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-08-breakthrough-precision-medicine-treatment-acute.html