Leukemia med may also fight ovarian cancer

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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they've discovered the drug Sprycel, approved for chronic myeloid leukemia, also is effective against ovarian cancer cells.

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center say they found Sprycel significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death. In addition, the scientists said the drug, when paired with a chemotherapy regimen, was even more effective in fighting ovarian cancer.

"I think Sprycel could be a potential additional drug for treating patients with Src dependent ovarian cancer," Assistant Professor Gottfried Konecny, first author of the study, said. "It is important to remember that this work is only on cancer cell lines, but it is significant enough that it should be used to justify clinical trials to confirm that women with this type of ovarian cancer could benefit."

The study appears in British Medical Journal.