BRCA1 deficiency increases sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to auranofin

An anti-rheumatic drug could improve the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients exhibiting a deficiency of the DNA repair protein BRCA1, a study has found. Auranofin is currently undergoing trials for repurposing to treat recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, which makes up around 90 per cent of diagnosed ovarian cancers.