4 February, 2011 - A report from researchers indicates four genes identified appear to have a critical influence in determining whether the early stages of prostate cancer will develop into an aggressive and lethal disease.With this information, doctors and patients will be better able to make decisions after diagnosis of prostate cancer. The researchers said that this disease is today is generally “over-treated”.
According to the American Cancer Society, about one in six men will eventually have prostrate cancer. It is the second cancer killer of men, following lung cancer and approximately 32,000 victims die from it every year.
Every year in the United States, diagnosis reveals about 220,000 new prostate cancer cases. This is due mainly to the widely used PSA tests that are able to detect the disease in its early stages. However, the cancers develop slowly and for the majority of patients, are unlikely to create symptoms that affect their lives.
The rate, at which the tumors are likely to progress, is accurate between 60 to 70 percent of the time. This is when predicted by conventional methods, based in part by viewing the cells under a microscope. This can result in many men undergoing aggressive surgery. As the radiation treatment provides little benefit, some delay or ignore other treatment that would help them
Indications are that studies showed 48 men with prostate cancer, received treatment with either surgery or radiation, with one death prevented from the disease. Furthermore, the new study suggested a test based on the four genes. This test when added to the current protocols of prediction could increase accuracy to about 90 percent.
In order to discover the genetic signature for aggressive prostrate cancer, researchers initially analyzed mice, lacking a gene called “PTEN”. Although the species develop cancer, it is generally of an indolent type that does not metastasize or spread to other parts of the body. Added gene studies, showed that the cancer related to “PTEN” became aggressive, after extinguishing the activity of another gene, SMAD4.
Two other genes were in turn regulated by SMAD4; one related to growth of the tumor, the other with movement. In the absence of SMAD4, both genes were active, producing proteins to promote the growth and spread of the cancer. A researcher said that the four genes are linked directly to the aggressive behavior of the cancers.
Another medical authority suggested that if it transpired that the new test would increase accuracy to 90 percent, it would have an impact. A possibility is that many men with a favorable profile may decide to monitor the progress of their cancer for a period, before undergoing aggressive medical treatment.
A caution was given that gene signatures, similarly proposed in the past, produced inconclusive results. However, the genes, which have been the subject of this research, appeared to have a functional role in the regulation of cancer development. Further, that additional research was necessary, to establish the value of the test for doctors and patients.
source: personalfinancebulletin.com
