UK scientists find basis of drug resistance in SCLC

According to research published in the July 12 issue of the European Molecular Biology Organization journal, it may be possible to reverse drug resistance in small cell lung cancer patients. Scientists at Cancer Research UK have identified a number of key proteins in the process that might also promote drug resistance in other forms of cancer.

Tumors with a protein called FGF-2 are known to be less likely to respond to treatment. The UK research team, led by Michael Seckl and Julian Downward, found that this is because it is involved in resistance to chemotherapy. Dr Downward, head of Cancer Research UK's Signal Transduction laboratory, explained how looking at FGF-2 led to other molecules required for drug resistance, particularly one called S6K2. "We knew that S6K2 existed but no one knew exactly what it did before now. It seems to regulate a number of proteins that control whether cells live or die. It is also essential for the development of drug resistance in small cell lung cancer," he noted.