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Inactivation of p53 by genetic or epigenetic means is a critical step in the pathogenesis of many cancers, including nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs). Restoring the tumor-suppressor functions of mutant p53 is a theoretical approach to minimizing the progression of NMSC. Small-molecular-weight compounds capable of restoring wild-type p53 function therefore represent a novel approach to anti-oncogenesis. In a screen of more than 100,000 synthetic compounds, one agent — CP-31398 — was shown to stabilize and restore the tumor-suppressive functions of wild-type p53 in vitro. Now, Tang and colleagues demonstrate the efficacy of CP-31398 in vivo.
To investigate whether CP-31398 would arrest pre-established UVB-induced cancers, the investigators tre…