A new discovery in the field of genetics could lead to new treatments that inhibit the growth of colon cancer and liver cancer, diseases that affect more and more people.
Researchers have analyzed genes in the intestine and liver to understand why genetic changes cause cancer only in certain tissues and not throughout the body.
The scientists focused on genetic defects that allow cancer cells to "hijack" a signaling system in the body that normally tells cells when and where they should not grow. This system, known as the WNT pathway, can be exploited by cancer to promote tumor formation.
The study, published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics, found that a protein called nucleophosmin (NPM1), which plays a role in controlling cell growth, is found at very high levels in colon cancer and some forms of liver cancer.
This increase is linked to genetic errors in the WNT pathway. According to the researchers, blocking this protein could open the door to developing new treatments targeted at specific types of cancer.
Professor Owen Sansom, lead researcher from the University of Glasgow and director of Cancer Research UK Scotland, said:
"Since NPM1 is not essential for the health of normal tissues in adults, blocking it could be a safe way to treat some types of cancer, including colon and liver cancer that are difficult to treat."
He added that when NPM1 is removed, cancer cells have difficulty producing necessary proteins, which activates protective mechanisms that stop tumor growth.
"The number of people affected by these cancers is increasing, so finding a new approach to fighting them is essential," stressed Professor Sansom.
In the UK, around 24,000 people die each year from colon or liver cancer. The research team hopes that these findings could also help develop treatments for other forms of cancer. /GazetaExpress/
t7 live
