An 18th century home remedy could be a new weapon in the fight against one of the most deadly cancers. Researchers in Skövde, Sweden, together with Skaraborg Hospital, are now starting a clinical trial to investigate whether the heart medicine digitoxin, originally extracted from the foxglove flower, can be used against pancreatic cancer.
– Digitoxin is a well-known and approved drug. It can make the development of new cancer treatments both faster and cheaper. Since we see promising results from the lab, we are taking the next step and testing it in a clinical trial,” says Heléne Lindholm, researcher in life sciences at the University of Skövde.
One of the most difficult cancers Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers. Only five percent of patients live longer than five years after diagnosis. In laboratory experiments at the University of Skövde, digitoxin has been shown to interfere with the energy production of cancer cells, disrupting their calcium balance and in some cases causing them to stop dividing or die.
Tailored treatment for each patient
However, the effectiveness of treatment has varied widely between different tumors.
– Pancreatic cancer is a disease with great biological variability and can look very different from patient to patient. Two patients can have the same diagnosis but completely different tumors. This is precisely why it is so difficult to find a treatment that works for everyone,” says Heléne Lindholm.
To reflect this variation, the researchers are using five different types of cancer cells and comparing their responses. The hope is to understand why some tumors respond better than others. The goal is more personalized care.
– This is an important step towards more personalized treatment, where each patient receives a treatment tailored to their particular tumor.
At the same time, the team is looking for biomarkers, traces in the body that can reveal which patients will benefit most from digitoxin, and investigating how the drug can best be combined with other treatments.
From lab to patient
The study is being conducted in collaboration with Skaraborg Hospital, where oncologist Johan Haux, who initiated the digitoxin trials, is leading the near-patient phase. In the clinical trial, researchers will determine the correct dose, ensure that the treatment is safe for patients and confirm that the biomarkers found in the lab also work in practice.
If the results hold up, digitoxin could become a new treatment option for patients who currently have very few options. The research was partly funded by the Assar Gabrielsson Foundation.
Heléne Lindholm
