New therapeutic approach ‘could enhance radiotherapy for several cancers’

New UK research has shed light on how a class of drugs called AKT inhibitors could be used to enhance radiotherapy across a wide range of cancers.

Carried out by Cancer Research UK scientists at the University of Oxford, the study looked at how the activation of a gene called AKT can play a role in preventing cancer cells from dying, even when they are oxygen-starved.

Using drugs designed to block AKT in cancer-affected mice, it was found that radiotherapy was able to kill more tumour cells, suggesting the addition of AKT inhibitors to radiotherapy could be an effective way to treat many cancers.

Eleanor Barrie, Cancer Research UK's senior science information manager, said: "Advances in how we give radiotherapy and use it in combination with other treatments have the potential to improve survival for thousands of cancer patients."

Currently, more than half of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment, making it a key cornerstone of current oncology practices.

The technique involves the use of radiation – usually X-rays – to damage the DNA within cancer cells, thus preventing their spread and development.