Thank you for your comments. Please see the previous response by Moderator Steph.

We would like to reiterate that:

Despite the increasing interest in repurposed drugs, the scientific evidence supporting their use in cancer treatment remains very limited. In fact, most studies are still in the early stages and lack the robust data required to make clear treatment recommendations.

How researchers identify drugs for cancer repurposing

When researchers investigate non-cancer drugs for possible use in oncology, they follow a process:

• They start by looking for promising signals—like observations in large populations or findings from early-stage laboratory or computational studies—that suggest a drug might have anti-cancer properties.
• In a next step, extensive laboratory research is performed with the drug: various cancer cell lines (in vitro) and/or animal models (in vivo), as well as combinations of repurposed and/or approved cancer drugs are tested. The goal is to verify the anti-cancer potential, understand the mechanism of action, and define the best setting to move this research into humans: which disease, dose and treatment combination for instance.
• Finally, the signals and preclinical research need to be confirmed in patients – and this is the step where most drug development fails. For a drug to be approved for cancer treatment, high-quality clinical evidence must show that it provides clear benefits for cancer patients with an acceptable safety profile. The golden standard for such validation is through rigorous clinical trials.

Only through such high-quality clinical research can scientists determine:

• Which patients could benefit.
• The safest and most effective dose.
• The best mode of administration.
• Whether it should be combined with other therapies.

Without positive evidence, no credible treatment recommendations towards patients can be made.

Although these drugs have shown potential to fight cancer cells in petri dishes and laboratory animals, rigorous clinical trials in humans are missing. Regardless of what viral podcasts and pseudoscientific articles claim, much more conclusive proof is needed before we can say whether these drugs are safe and effective as cancer treatment.

At CRUK we understand that patients want to try everything they can to improve their outcomes and explore all available options and can assure you that scientists are working tirelessly to find ways to do this.

We would remind you that Cancer Chat is a support forum for people affected by cancer and the moderation team are unable to answer questions regarding specific research projects.

If you have a specific question for Cancer Research UK regarding research or policies, please contact Supporter Services.

Best wishes,

Ben
Cancer Chat Moderator