A potential therapy to reduce the side effects of a chemotherapy

Convergent effect of cisplatin and KW6002 on DNA double-strand breaks in lung tumor cells. Blue corresponds to cell nuclei and red to a protein that marks DNA damage © Dewaeles et al Cisplatin is a chemotherapy indicated to fight tumors in many types of cancer. However, it does have major side effects - especially kidney toxicity, that can lead to acute kidney failure. In addition, patients treated with cisplatin also often report high levels of neuropathic pain. Scientists from Inserm, Université de Lille, University Hospital Lille, CNRS and Institut Pasteur de Lille within the CANTHER and Lille Neuroscience & Cognition laboratories, in collaboration with researchers from Michigan State University (USA), have identified a drug that could be a game changer for patients. Istradefylline, which is already approved for Parkinson's disease, could not only reduce the harmful effects of cisplatin but also improve its anti-tumor properties. These findings will now need to be confirmed in a clinical trial.