Losartan (an antihypertensive) in cancer

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This Scientific American podcast discusses the role of collagen and hyaluronic acid in physically constricting (squishing) blood vessels, thus causing hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in cancer cells. Hypoxic cancer tumors tend to have more chromosome changes and kill their host faster.  Oxygen is needed for chemotherapy and radiation to be effective; hypoxia decreases the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation.  Losartan (an antihypertensive currently on the market) has had an effect on reducing the collagen production pancreatic, breast and skin tumors in mice. Losartan increased the efficacy of pegylated lipisomal doxirubicin in mice. There is currently a clinical trial in humans using losartan with chemotherapy  and radiation in pancreatic cancer. 

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01821729
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/01/20/1018892108.full.pdf
Podcast Science Talk (Scientific American) : fighting cancer with physics (1-27-14) www.scientificamerican.com/podcast

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