Methods and pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of cancer

1. A method of treating a colorectal cancer in a subject in need thereof, wherein cells of said cancer express orexin-1-receptor (OX1R), comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of at least one OX1R antagonist to treat said colorectal cancer, wherein the OX1R antagonist is selected from the group consisting of SB408124, Suvorexant and Almorexant, and wherein said cells of said colorectal cancer expressing said OX1R.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the OX1R antagonist is administered in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the chemotherapeutic agent is selected from the group consisting of alkylating agents; alkyl sulfonates; aziridines; ethylenimines and/or methylamelamines; acetogenins; a carnptothecin; bryostatin; callystatin; CC-1065; cryptophycins; dolastatin; duocarmycin; eleutherobin; pancratistatin; a sarcodictyin; spongistatin; nitrogen mustards; nitrosureas; antibiotics; anti-metabolites; folic acid analogues; purine analogs; pyrimidine analogs; androgens; anti-adrenals; folic acid replenisher; aceglatone; aldophospharnide glycoside; aminolevulinic acid; amsacrine; bestrabucil; bisantrene; edatraxate; defofamine; demecolcine; diaziquone; elfornithine; elliptinium acetate; an epothilone; etoglucid; gallium nitrate; hydroxyurea; lentinan; lonidamine; maytansinoids; mitoguazone; mitoxantrone; mopidamol; nitracrine; pento statin; phenamet; pirarubicin; podophyllinic acid; 2-ethylhydrazide; procarbazine; PSK®; razoxane; rhizoxin; sizofiran; spirogennanium; tenuazonic acid; triaziquone; 2,2′,2″-trichlorotriethylarnine; trichothecenes; urethan; vindesine; dacarbazine; mannomustine; mitobromtol; mitolactol; pipobroman; gacytosine; arabinoside; cyclophosphamide; thiotepa; taxoids; chlorambucil; gemcitabine; 6-thioguanine; mercaptopurine; methotrexate; platinum analogs; vinblastine; platinum; etoposide; ifosfamide; mitomycin C; mitoxantrone; vincristine; vinorelbine; navelbine; novantrone; teniposide; daunomycin; aminopterin; xeloda; ibandronate; CPT-11; topoisomerase inhibitor RFS 2000; difluoromethylornithine (DMFO); retinoic acid; capecitabine; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acids or derivatives of any of the above.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the OX1R antagonist is administered in combination with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor selected from the group consisting of dasatinib (BMS-354825), PP2, BEZ235, saracatinib, gefitinib (Iressa), sunitinib (Sutent; SU11248), erlotinib (Tarceva; OSI-1774), lapatinib (GW572016; GW2016), canertinib (CI 1033), semaxinib (SU5416), vatalanib (PTK787/ZK222584), sorafenib (BAY 43-9006), imatinib (Gleevec; STI571), leflunomide (SU101), vandetanib (Zactima; ZD6474), and MK-2206 (8-[4-aminocyclobutyl)phenyl]-9-phenyl-1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-f][1,6]naphthyridin-3(2H)-one hydrochloride).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the OX1R antagonist is administered in combination with an immunotherapeutic agent.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein immunotherapeutic agent is an antibody selected from the group consisting of rituximab (Rituxan®), trastuzumab (Herceptin®), ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin®), tositumomab (Bexxar®), cetuximab (C-225, Erbitux®), bevacizumab (Avastin®), gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg®), alemtuzumab (Campath®), BL22 an anti-CTLA4 antibody, an anti-PD1 antibody, an anti-PDL1 antibody, an anti-TIMP3 antibody, an anti-LAG3 antibody, an anti-B7H3 antibody, an anti-B7H4 antibody or an anti-B7H6 antibody.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the OX antagonist is administered in combination with a radiotherapeutic agent.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the chemotherapeutic agent is an anti-estrogen or an anti-androgen.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the anti-estrogen is tamoxifen, raloxifene, an aromatase inhibiting 4(5)-imidazole, 4-hydroxytamoxifen, trioxifene, keoxifene, LY117018, onapristone or toremifene (Fareston).

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the anti-androgen is flutamide, nilutamide, bicalutamide, leuprolide or goserelin.

11. The method of claim 3 , wherein

the alkylating agent is thiotepa or cyclosphosphamide;

the alkyl sulfonate is busulfan, improsulfan or piposulfan;

the aziridine is benzodopa, carboquone, meturedopa, or uredopa;

the ethylenimines and/or methylamelamines is altretamine, triethylenemelamine, trietylenephosphoramide, triethylenethiophosphaorarnide or trimethylolomelamine;

the nitrogen mustads is chlorambucil, chlornaphazine, cholophosphamide, estrarnustine, ifosfamide, mechlorethamine, mechlorethamine oxide hydrochloride, melphalan, novembichin, phenesterine, prednimus tine, trofosfamide or uracil mustard;

the nitrosurea is carmustine, chlorozotocin, fotemustine, lomustine, nimustine or ranimustine;

the antibiotic is selected from the group consisting of enediyne antibiotic, an aclacinomysin, actinomycin, authramycin, azaserine, a bleomycin, cactinomycin, carabicin, canninomycin, carzinophilin, a chromomycin, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, detorubicin, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, esorubicin, idanrbicin, marcellomycin, a mitomycin, mycophenolic acid, nogalarnycin, an olivomycin, peplomycin, potfiromycin, puromycin, quelamycin, rodorubicin, streptomgrin, streptozocin, tubercidin, ubenimex, zinostatin and zorubicin;

the anti-metabolite is methotrexate or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU);

the folic acid analogue is denopterin, methotrexate, pteropterin or trimetrexate;

the purine analog is fludarabine, 6-mercaptopurine, thiamiprine or thioguanine;

the pyrimidine analog is selected from the group consisting of ancitabine, azacitidine, 6-azauridine, carmofur, cytarabine, dideoxyuridine, doxifluridine, enocitabine, floxuridine and 5-FU;

the androgen is calusterone, dromostanolone propionate, epitiostanol, mepitiostane or testolactone;

the anti-adrenal is aminoglutethimide, mitotane or trilostane;

the folic acid replenisher is frolinic acid;

the maytansinoid is maytansine or an ansamitocin; and

the platinum analog is cisplatin or carboplatin.