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Can cardiovascular drugs support cancer treatment? The rationale for drug repurposing

Katarzyna Regulska1, Miłosz Regulski2, Bartosz Karolak3

  • 1Greater Poland Oncology Center, Pharmacy, 15 Garbary Street, 61-866 Poznań, Poland.

Drug Discovery Today
|March 18, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Cardiology drugs targeting shared pathways like the renin-angiotensin system could offer a new cancer treatment strategy. Repurposing these cardiovascular medications shows promise as an adjuvant therapy for oncology patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Growing evidence highlights biological overlap between cardiovascular and oncological diseases.
  • Common regulatory mechanisms, including the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), are implicated in both conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential of repurposing established cardiology drugs as an adjuvant cancer treatment strategy.
  • To review preclinical and clinical data supporting the use of cardiovascular medications in oncology.

Main Methods:

  • Review of available preclinical research.
  • Analysis of existing clinical trial data.
  • Discussion of drug repurposing for common regulatory pathways.

Main Results:

  • Identified shared malfunctions in key biological pathways (RAS, SNS, coagulation, etc.) between heart and cancer diseases.
  • Cardiology drugs like ACE-Is, ARBs, beta-blockers, statins, CGs, and LMWHs target these common pathways.
  • Preclinical and clinical data suggest potential efficacy of these repurposed drugs in cancer management.

Conclusions:

  • Repurposing cardiology drugs represents a novel and promising adjuvant strategy for cancer management.
  • Targeting shared molecular mechanisms offers a rational approach to combining cardiovascular and oncological therapies.
  • Further clinical investigation is warranted to confirm the efficacy and safety of these repurposed agents in cancer patients.

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