Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University may have discovered a new recipe for fighting a subset of treatment-resistant lung cancer.

By combining two drugs with radiation, the researchers believe they have made headway against diseases derived from KRAS-related gene mutations.

"Currently there is a clinical trial underway to evaluate the combination of two cancer drugs, trametinib and palbociclib, made by two pharmadeutical companies for patients with solid tumors and melanoma," said Dr. Bo Lu, professor of radiation oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, in a statement.
The study, which was conducted on mice, could have major repercussions on how a minority of lung cancer cases are treated.

While roughly 85 percent of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), sub-types with KRAS gene mutations have been resistant to conventional and targeted therapies. Sub-types with ALK and EGFR-mutations, on the other hand, have recently seen more treatment progress.

"Although further research in human subjects is needed to confirm the finding, our study suggests that we may be able to identify non-small cell lung cancer patients who are likely to benefit most from this combination of therapies," Lu continued.

Lu and his colleagues looked to an additional mutation within the KRAS subset and discovered that drug resistance was increased when there was a mutation in a protein called p16. In part, the treatment formula they derived aims to undo the effect of that mutation.

"If you hit one target another can take over. If you hit two, it becomes a lethal bullet," said Lu.

At present, neither drug is approved for use in lung cancer, but the researchers are hopeful that this may change as the benefits are defined for the subset of patients who stand to achieve better outcomes from it.

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