Cancer

Patient sample and mouse studies suggest c-MET inhibitors could help treat neurofibromatosis type II. In neural tissue from patients, level of c-MET mRNA were higher in neurofibromatosis type II schwannomas than in unaffected nerves. In mice with schwannoma tumors that cause neurofibromatosis, c-MET knockdown decreased tumor growth compared with normal expression, and c-MET knockdown plus radiation increased survival compared with radiation alone. In a mouse model of neurofibromatosis, the c-MET inhibitor Xalkori crizotinib plus low-dose radiation decreased tumor size compared with Xalkori or radiation alone. In patient-derived neurofibromatosis type II-associated schwannomas and meningiomas cultured in mouse brain slices, Xalkori decreased tumor proliferation and increased tumor apoptosis compared with no treatment. Next steps could include testing Xalkori in patients with neurofibromatosis type II...