New cancer drug is called impressive

GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say an early trial of a multi-kinase inhibitor has shown impressive tumor shrinkage in patients with a hard-to-treat form of thyroid cancer.

Assistant Professor Pasi Janne of Harvard University Medical School and Professor Steven Sherman of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center said the encouraging results have put the drug's development on a fast track, prompting the accelerated initiation of a large phase III trial.

The compound, XL184, targets cell growth and migration, as well as angiogenesis (blood vessel growth).

The clinical trial that's been initiated will test XL184 with and without erlotinib (Tarceva), a drug used to treat non-small lung, pancreatic and other cancers. XL184 is also being studied in glioblastoma.

The research was presented Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, during a symposium organized by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the American Association for Cancer Research.