Common asthma drug may boost immunotherapy against aggressive cancers

Evanston: A drug often used to treat asthma and allergies may also help fight aggressive cancers, according to new US research. The study revealed how tumors hijack common white blood cells to evade immunotherapy.

Scientists say their findings in mice and human tissues point to a new way to improve treatment for tough tumors like triple-negative breast cancer, on which immunotherapy often fails. The best news is the breakthrough could quickly move into clinical testing because the drug, montelukast, commonly known by the brand name Singulair, is already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The research team from Northwestern University in Illinois explained that at the center of the discovery is a molecule called CysLTR1, which is best known for its role in asthma and inflammation. Drugs that block it, such as montelukast, have been prescribed for decades to treat asthma.

The Northwestern team learned that many cancers exploit CysLTR1 to resist treatment. Specifically, the tumors trick the immune system into helping them grow by increasing a group of white blood cells called neutrophils