Japanese scientists have identified ROR1 as an Achilles heel in a difficult to treat lung cancer.

2012-03-29

Japanese scientists at Nagoya University report that Kanceras drug target for cancer, ROR1, can be induced by oncogene NKX2-1 in lung adenocarcinoma and is part of the balance between survival and apoptosis (cell death) of the tumor cell.

The Japanese scientists write in the prestigious scientific journal Cancer Cell that their results identify ROR1 as an "Achilles heel" in lung adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, they write that ROR1 inhibition from a clinical perspective is of particular interest to the treatment of “hard-to-cure” genfitinib-resistant lung adenocarcinoma and probably also for other ROR1-positive cancers.

Reference to the article:
T. Yamaguchi et al. "NKX2/TITF1/TTF-1-Induced ROR1 is required to sustain the EGFR Survival Signaling in Lung Adenocarcinoma", Cancer Cell, 21, 348-362

Click here for a PubMed link to an abstract of the article (external link)