Digoxin for reduction of circulating tumor cell cluster size in metastatic breast cancer: a proof-of-concept trial.

ABSTRACT: The presence of circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters is associated with disease progression and reduced survival in a variety of cancer types. In breast cancer, preclinical studies showed that inhibitors of the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase suppress CTC clusters and block metastasis. Here we conducted a prospective, open-label, proof-of-concept study in women with metastatic breast cancer, where the primary objective was to determine whether treatment with the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase inhibitor digoxin could reduce mean CTC cluster size. An analysis of nine patients treated daily with a maintenance digoxin dose (0.7-1.4 ng ml^-1 serum level) revealed a mean cluster size reduction of -2.2 cells per cluster upon treatment (P = 0.003), meeting the primary endpoint

SUBMITTER: Kurzeder C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12003195 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature