The present invention relates to the treatment of cancer. Here, the inventors evaluated EAPB02303 effects in PDAC cell lines and mouse models and investigated its mechanism of action. They showed a potent cytotoxic activity of EAPB02303 in combination with paclitaxel in vitro and in mice. Using a combination of transcriptomic, proteomic, biochemical and cellular assay, they demonstrated that EAPB02303 mechanism of action relies on its bioactivation by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), resulting in the production of a methylated compound, EAPB04303, that effectively inhibits microtubule polymerization. Moreover, in a second study, the inventors established the first validation of a COMT-driven metabolism of EAPB02303 into a methylated compound, EAPB04303, in AML. Importantly, they demonstrated that the metabolite EAPB04303 induces growth arrest in AML cells, at earlier timepoints and lower concentrations than EAPB02303.
Thus the present invention relates to an aromatic heterocyclic compound of general formula (I) and used thereof.