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Home > FAQs

The Official University of Alberta DCA Website

Frequently Asked Questions

 

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What is DCA?

• An "off-patent" drug (called Dichloroacetate) which is a small, simple molecule. "Off-patent" means no pharmaceutical company owns a copyright for its use.
• Relatively non-toxic when used appropriately. May become toxic at the wrong doses
• Original intended use - to treat children with a rare metabolic disorder.

Why these initial findings are important?

• This is the first use of DCA in patients with cancer.
• Establishes that DCA works in the human body against cancer, not just in the lab.
• Further supports original discovery by Dr. Michelakis that altering metabolism of tumours (changing the way the tumour generates energy) is a promising new direction in the search for a cure for cancer. Currently, the scientific community believes that metabolism may be the new frontier in the treatment of cancer. Last December, Science (the world's largest journal about science) suggested that cancer metabolism is one of the five "hottest areas" and "areas to watch for" for the coming years, across all fields of science.
• May inspire other researchers to test DCA against brain cancer.
• Suggests that an expanding new class of drugs similar to DCA (called "metabolic modulators") can also be used against this brain cancer, opening a new window for the treatment of this deadly disease. Patients diagnosed with brain cancer typically die within a year, despite all available therapies, thus new therapies are desperately needed.

What are the next steps for U of A researchers?

• Many more brain cancer patients must be tested to determine if DCA can help them, and if so, to what degree.
• The current findings suggest that DCA can work in synergy with standard chemotherapies and thus trials to test such "combination therapy" in patients with brain cancer also need to be conducted.
• Similar Phase 2 trials, in collaboration with other centres will be needed for other cancers, particularly lung cancer and breast cancer. Phase 2 trials are designed to assess how well the drug works, as well as to continue Phase I safety assessments in a larger group of patients.

When will DCA become a treatment option for cancer patients?

• When more clinical trials in more than a few centres show DCA does not hurt patients and helps them more than a placebo.
• Until then, its use from unregulated and "for-profit" and without medical supervision is both inappropriate and dangerous, because at the wrong doses and in the wrong patient DCA can be toxic.