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Repurposing psychiatric drugs as anti-cancer agents

Jing Huang1, Danwei Zhao2, Zhixiong Liu3

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University (CSU), Changsha, China; Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Chinese National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Xiangya), Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Chinese National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.

Cancer Letters
|February 8, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Repurposing antipsychotic drugs offers a novel, affordable strategy against cancer. These psychiatric medications demonstrate potent anti-cancer properties, presenting new therapeutic avenues for malignancies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Cancer represents a significant global health challenge, driving the need for cost-effective treatments.
  • High drug development costs necessitate exploring alternative therapeutic strategies like drug repurposing.
  • Antipsychotic drugs, with established safety profiles, are being investigated for repurposed anti-cancer applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the repurposing of psychiatric drugs for cancer treatment.
  • To explore the anti-neoplastic mechanisms of antipsychotic drugs.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on antipsychotic drug repurposing in oncology.
  • Analysis of proposed mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer effects of antipsychotics.

Main Results:

  • Antipsychotic drugs exhibit potent anti-cancer activity across various malignancies.
  • These drugs possess established safety profiles from decades of psychiatric use.
  • Repurposing offers a potentially affordable approach to novel cancer therapies.

Conclusions:

  • Antipsychotic drugs represent promising candidates for repurposed cancer treatments.
  • Understanding their anti-neoplastic mechanisms is crucial for clinical translation.
  • Drug repurposing of psychiatric medications could address the need for affordable anti-cancer drugs.
Keywords:
Antipsychotic drugsCancer treatmentDrug repurposingHistone deacetylasesPhenothiazines

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