Taiwanese team develops new treatment for triple-negative breast cancer

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) A Taiwanese medical team has developed a new treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that tackles treatment-resistance, announced National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) President Sytwu Huey-kang (司徒惠康) on Thursday.

At a press conference, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology Professor Lily Hui-ching Wang (王慧菁), a member of the team made up of NHRI and NTHU researchers, said TNBC relies on chemotherapy drugs such as paclitaxel and currently cannot be treated by targeted therapy.

However, although patients with this type of cancer have a five-year survival rate of 77 percent, there is a recurrence rate of 30-40 percent. Once the cancer returns, it often becomes resistant to paclitaxel, causing the survival rate to drop to just 8-12 percent, she said.

Wang explained that drug resistance is caused by a protein in the body called KIF2C, a type of kinesin involved in cell division. When overly active in cancer cells, KIF2C helps them resist the effects of paclitaxel.

The new drug works by inhibiting the activity of KIF2C in cancer cells, she said.

The research team has applied the drug to treatment of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and cervical cancer, she added.

Hsieh Hsing-pang (謝興邦), director of the NHRI's Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, said the drug is the world's first cell-penetrating small-molecule inhibitor of KIF2C.

It also demonstrates synergy when used in combination with paclitaxel, he added.

The drug is expected to be on the market in about five years, Hsieh said.

The team has received funding from the National Science and Technology Council in 2025 to carry out preclinical testing, according to a news release from the NHRI.

The development of the new drug will be the cover story in the August edition of the international journal "Developmental Cell," Sytwu said.

Wang said breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, typically occurring between the ages of 60-64. TNBC accounts for about 10-15 percent of all breast cancer cases, with an average onset age of 46. Notably, 20 percent of TNBC cases occur in women under the age of 40.