Repurposed drugs successfully target cancer ‘sleeper cells’: 5 study notes

Researchers have successfully used repurposed cancer drugs to target dormant breast cancer cells, aiding in the delay or prevention of recurrence, according to a study published Sept. 2 in Nature Medicine. 

Researchers from Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine enrolled 51 breast cancer survivors to identify and target the cells with existing cancer drugs.

Here are five things to know from the research:

1. “These so-called ‘sleeper cells,’ […] can reactivate years or even decades later,” a Sept. 2 news release from Penn Medicine said. “Because [the cells] can be scattered throughout the body, they do not show up on standard imaging tests that are used to watch for breast cancer recurrence.”

2. Study participants received either hydroxychloroquine, everolimus or a combination of both drugs.

3. The drugs cleared dormant tumor cells in 80% of participants, the release said. 
4. The three-year survival rate without disease recurrence was more than 90% in patients who received one drug and 100% in patients who received both drugs.
5. After a median follow-up period of 42 months, two of the 51 participants had experienced a recurrence of cancer. 

Read the full study here. 

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