A leukemia drug called dasatinib shows promise for treating skin, breast and several other cancers, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

Dasatinib fights leukemia by checking the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. But when used against other cancer cells, researchers found, the drug employs a different strategy: It causes the cells to clump together, thus preventing them from migrating. Without the ability to migrate, cancer cells cannot metastasize (spread to other parts of the body). Researchers discovered the molecular mechanism behind this cell-cell adhesion. Dasatinib targets a protein called BCR-ABL that fuels the growth of cancer cells. BCR-ABL is similar to a protein called Fyn that's found in other malignancies, including breast, brain, pancreatic, skin and head-and-neck cancers. Fyn is associated with cell-cell adhesion and cell migration. While dasatinib did not eliminate Fyn, it inhibited the protein's activity. The researchers also found that dasatinib reduced the number and size of tumors in mice that had skin cancer.