Combination therapies | Anticancerfund
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Combination therapies

It is important to investigate the impacts of drugs beyond what they can achieve alone. Using them in combination can act as a multiplier and increase the sum of their benefits.

Achieving synergistic effects, fighting resistance

The complexity of cancer underscores the need for a variety of treatment approaches, which is why a combination of one or more therapeutic interventions is often used to battle cancer. Combination therapy might achieve efficacy with lower doses or less toxic drugs. It can chemo-sensitise cells, making an additional compound more potent. It can have additive or synergistic effects, minimise drug resistance, or fight against expected resistance. Although monotherapy is still a common approach, it is often deemed that even better results could potentially be obtained when these therapies will become rationally combined with others.

Achieving synergistic effects, fighting resistance

Targeting cancer’s escape route

Methods to eradicate cancer cells have evolved from surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy to therapies targeting the tumour micro-environment, such as immunotherapy. New insights into how we can influence, control and limit tumour growth leads to the potential of combination therapies. Combining several interventions attacks multiple tumour pathways at the same time, enhancing the overall impact on tumour growth.

Targeting cancer’s escape route

Our trials in this focus area

Trial phase: 
2
Cancer types: 
  • Lung cancer
Status: 
Terminated
Trial phase: 
1
Cancer types: 
  • Brain cancer
Status: 
Completed
Trial phase: 
2
Cancer types: 
  • Gynaecological cancer
Status: 
Completed

Our current focus areas

  • Drug repurposing

    Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, is a drug development strategy predicated on the reuse of existing...
  • Less common and rare cancers

    We don’t just focus on the ‘big four’ of cancer – prostate, colon, breast and lung. We also investigate new treatment...
  • Combination therapies

    It is important to investigate the impacts of drugs beyond what they can achieve alone. Using them in combination...
  • Preventing tumour recurrence

    For cancer survivors, the fight isn’t always over. Many are concerned about the possibility of recurrence, and living...

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