Itraconazole inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in non-small cell lung cancer
Menée in vitro et in vivo, cette étude évalue l'efficacité antiangiogénique de l'itraconazole, un antifongique par voie orale, dans le cancer métastatique du poumon non à petites cellules
The anti-angiogenic agent bevacizumab has been approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, although the survival benefit associated with this agent is marginal, and toxicities and cost are substantial. A recent screen for selective inhibitors of endothelial cell proliferation identified the oral anti-fungal drug itraconazole as a novel agent with potential anti-angiogenic activity. Here we define and characterize the anti-angiogenic and anti-cancer activities of itraconazole in relevant preclinical models of angiogenesis and lung cancer. Itraconazole consistently demonstrated potent, specific, and dose-dependent inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation in response to both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)- and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)- mediated angiogenic stimulation. In vivo, using primary xenograft models of human non-small cell lung cancer, oral itraconazole showed single agent growth-inhibitory activity associated with induction of tumor HIF1α expression and marked inhibition of tumor vascularity. Itraconazole significantly enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy of the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin in the same model systems. Taken together, these data suggest that itraconazole has potent and selective inhibitory activity against multiple key aspects of tumor-associated angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, and strongly support clinical translation of its use. Based on these observations we have initiated a randomized phase II study comparing the efficacy of standard cytotoxic therapy with or without daily oral itraconazole in patients with recurrent metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.