"Fructose" treatment strategy discovered.

• Position: Acute Myeloid Leukemia - Brief article

A novel therapeutic target and treatment strategy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that normally requires prompt and aggressive treatment, has been discovered by researchers at the University of Hawaii's Cancer Center, Honolulu.

"New therapeutic targets and drugs are urgently needed to improve AML patient outcomes," says Wei Jia of the Epidemiology Program. "We found an increased use of fructose in AML patients. This unique metabolic feature predicts poor treatment outcomes in patients. Our study provides strong evidence that blocking fructose utilization using a small molecule drug shows dramatic therapeutic benefit for AML treatment."

The conventional regimen for AML treatment is limited. Only about 25% to 30% of patients survive for five years or more after they are diagnosed. This discovery can have a profound impact on cancer treatment outcomes, not just for AML patients, but possibly for many others with different types of cancers.

The findings, published in Cancer Cell...