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Kaletra Cream Attacks HPV, May Stop Cervical cancer
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Kaletra Could Be Used To Prevent Cervical Cancer, Say University Of Manchester Researchers
25 Aug 2006 - 0:00am (PDT)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Researchers at the University of Manchester are developing a topical treatment against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is responsible for pre-cancerous and cancerous disease of the cervix as well as other genital malignancies.
In the UK many thousands of women undergo surgery to remove precancerous lesions of every year. Instead they may be able to apply a simple cream or pessary to the affected area. The discovery may be even more significant in developing countries which lack surgical facilities and where HPV related cervical cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women.
Drs Ian and Lynne Hampson at the School of Medicine's Division of Human Development and Reproduction are developing the treatment from a type of drug that is given orally to treat HIV. This protease inhibitor can selectively kill cultured HPV infected cervical cancer cells and, since it is already available as a liquid formulation, it is possible it may work by direct application to the cervix.
The research, funded by the Humane Research Trust, is to be published in the September issue of the journal Anti-Viral Therapy (2006; 11(6): in press) and is also being presented at the International HPV meeting in Prague on 5 September.
Group leader Dr Ian Hampson, who is based at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, said: "It is very exciting to find such a significant new use for this HIV drug which is already licensed and FDA-approved for oral administration. We are currently exploring the means of delivering this drug directly to the affected tissue. We would then move to a clinical trial that would be supervised by our head of unit Professor Henry C. Kitchener. If this proves successful we could see the treatment available fairly rapidly."
He added: "Anti HPV vaccines are currently in the process of being licensed but, not all lesions will be prevented and not all women will be vaccinated. A non surgical therapy will have significant advantages - better preservation of obstetric function, the potential for use in resource poor settings such as underdeveloped countries and it may appeal more to women than surgery.
"We are very grateful for the strong support we have had from the Humane Research Trust, the charity who funded the development of this work."
Professor Kitchener said: "The significance of this finding is that a simple medical treatment could be used in place of surgery which many women dislike and fully preserve the cervix. First we need to demonstrate that it can be effective."
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Kaletra May stop cervical cancer
A commonly used HIV drug could be used to prevent cervical cancer, UK researchers believe.
BBC News
Early lab tests show the antiviral drug lopinavir attacks the virus that causes cervical cancer - HPV - as well as HIV.
The University of Manchester team envisage that the oral drug could be made into a simple cream or pessary to apply to the cervix.
This would mean thousands of women could avoid surgery to remove early cancers, they told Antiviral Therapy.
Cervical cancer vaccines are already being developed, but these will only be effective in people who have not already caught the HPV virus.
The prospect of a simple, non-surgical treatment for HPV is very exciting
Women who already have the virus currently have to have regular checks for cancer. If there are very early warning signs of a possible tumour, doctors advise a 'watch and wait' policy because many of these abnormalities disappear on their own.
However, some progress to become cancerous and have to be cut out.
Each year in the UK alone about 50,000 women have early cervical cancers removed, say the researchers.
In the laboratory study, small doses of the liquid protease inhibitor selectively killed HPV-infected cervical cancer cells.
Dr Ian Hampson and his team are hopeful that the HIV drug will do the same in real life and plan to carry out clinical trials in women soon.
The test treatment will be a cream or a pessary because the doses that reach the cervix after passing through the body when lopinavir is taken orally would not be strong enough.
Fast-track
However, the actual concentration needed in the lab was a millionth of that used orally to treat HIV.
And because the drug has already been approved and checked for treating HIV, the researchers believe it could be available as a treatment for HPV in a few years.
Dr Hampson's team tested the drug against the most common cancer-causing strain of human papilloma virus, HPV 16.
They are confident that it will also work against other HPV strains that cause cervical cancer.
Dr Hampson explained: "The drug works as a selective proteosome inhibitor. It allows cellular proteins that are detrimental to the virus to persist."
Normally, HPV would remove these from the cell so it could flourish, he said.
"At the moment, we can't really offer anything to women with HPV and low-grade cervical disease.
"We are talking about 200,000 women in the UK alone. This treatment, if it works, could provide an alternative," he said.
Future hope
Michael Carter, of the HIV organisation Aidsmap, said: "This latest finding is extremely welcome. Many HIV-positive individuals are infected with high-risk strains of HPV. Anal and cervical cancer caused by HPV is a real concern for people with HIV."
He said other research suggested certain anti-HIV drugs could be used to treat hepatitis B.
HIV makes people susceptible to HPV-related cancers and many other diseases because it attacks the body's immune system.
A spokesman from the HIV charity Avert said: "Cervical cancer kills 250,000 people each year, and most of these deaths occur in developing countries where there is little access to surgery.
"The prospect of a simple, non-surgical treatment for HPV is very exciting. However, we'll have to wait for the results of human trials."
Dr Laura-Jane Armstrong of Cancer Research UK said: "This is an interesting study but the research has only been done on cells in the laboratory and we don't yet know if it will work in humans.
"Currently, the best thing women can do to prevent cervical cancer developing is to go for regular cervical smear tests when invited."
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