New drug ‘kettles’ threat of tumours

Although at an early stage of development, researchers hope it can be given at diagnosis to avoid aggressive treatments.

The drug, called KBU2046, is designed to disable proteins that enable prostate cancer cells to spread.

Scientists in the US tested it on mice given transplants of aggressive human prostate cancer cells.

Over five weeks, the drug inhibited movement of the cells and prevented them spreading to the lung.

The spread of cancer around the body, known as metastasis, is usually what kills cancer patients.

Prostate cancer in humans most often targets the bone, but may also spread to the liver, brain or lungs.

Scientists found that KBU2046 was non-toxic to healthy human cells and appeared to have no harmful side effects.

Professor Raymond Bergan, who led the study at Northwestern University in Chicago, said: “This is an extremely promising new therapeutic that locks down aggressive prostate cancer cells so they don’t move.”