Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 22, 2025 3 hours, 23 minutes ago
Medical News: New Hope for Aggressive Breast Cancer Treatment
Researchers from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, and Egypt’s Tanta University have made a breakthrough in the fight against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)—one of the deadliest and hardest-to-treat forms of the disease. Their latest work shows that combining a natural compound called parthenolide, found in the feverfew plant, with a cancer drug named selinexor could significantly boost treatment outcomes and slow tumor growth. This
Medical News report highlights how the scientists used both computer modeling and lab testing to uncover this promising pairing.
Phytochemicals found In FewerFew Plant Boosts Breast Cancer Drug Effectiveness
How the Combination Works
Selinexor, a U.S. FDA-approved drug, blocks a protein called XPO1 that cancer cells use to export important molecules out of their nucleus. This helps stop the cells from growing and dividing. However, because TNBC tumors are highly varied from patient to patient, some cells can resist the drug. That’s where parthenolide comes in. Known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, parthenolide suppresses another key cancer pathway called NF-κB, which helps cancer cells survive under stress. When the researchers combined selinexor with parthenolide, they observed that the treatment became much more powerful in killing cancer cells across different TNBC types.
Promising Lab Results
Using sophisticated computer analysis, the research team predicted that parthenolide would enhance the effectiveness of selinexor. They confirmed these predictions through experiments on three major TNBC cell lines—MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and HCC-1806—each representing different molecular subtypes of the disease. When treated separately, both selinexor and parthenolide reduced cancer cell growth. But when used together, the combination killed nearly 75% of cancer cells, compared to about 45% for selinexor alone. The strongest effects were seen in the HCC-1806 cell line, which mimics some of the most resistant TNBC cases.
Why It Matters for Patients
Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for roughly 15–20% of all breast cancers and lacks the hormone receptors targeted by most current drugs. Patients often face poor survival rates and limited options beyond chemotherapy. The discovery that parthenolide and selinexor can work together could open the door to more personalized treatments, where drug combinations are matched to a patient’s unique tumor profile. The researchers emphasize that because parthenolide comes from a natural source and has a history of safe use, it could potentially be developed into a complementary therapy to enhance modern cancer drugs.
Conclusion
The University of Minnesota and Tanta University team’s findings suggest that combining natural and pharmaceuti
cal compounds could be the key to tackling stubborn cancers like TNBC. While these results are based on laboratory studies, they provide a strong foundation for future animal and human trials. If validated in clinical settings, the selinexor-parthenolide combination could transform how oncologists treat one of the most challenging breast cancer types.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/20/10243
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/cancer
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/herbs-and-phytochemicals
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