- Bowel cancer, or colon cancer, is currently the third most common cancer in the world.
- Cases of colon cancer among young adults are increasing in many parts of the world.
- Colorectal cancer screening is important for early detection of the disease.
- Researchers have identified a protein in the immune system that can be used as a biomarker during colon cancer screening and may slow the progression of the disease.
Colorectal cancer (also known as colorectal cancer or colon cancer) is currently
Although it is colon cancer,
Previous studies have shown that colon cancer recurrence occurs in 30 to 40 percent of people treated for this type of cancer.
For this reason,
Australian National University researchers are helping to provide additional biomarkers that can be used in the future to improve outcomes at all stages of disease spread.
Manipulating this particular protein in the immune system, Ku70, could potentially treat colon cancer.The results of this study were recently published in the journal scientific progress.
Dr. Shi Min Mangroup leader in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Australian National University, CSL Centenary Fellow and corresponding author of the study, said he hopes researchers will continue to explore new treatments for bowel cancer. explained why it is important.
“Despite progress in developing new treatments, colorectal cancer remains the most important disease. [third] “It is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide,” said Dr. Mann. Today’s medical news.
“Especially given the high mortality rate and increasing incidence.
The researchers found that approx.
Cases of colorectal cancer among young people are also increasing in many parts of the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and China.
When asked why he decided to look for immune system proteins as a way to help prevent and even treat colorectal cancer, Dr. Mann said scientists have long known that the immune system can find and destroy cancer cells. He said he knew.
“Harnessing and enhancing the power of the immune system may therefore be a safe approach to limit cancer development,” Dr. Mann explained.
“This vision led to the identification of remarkable immune proteins that can guide therapeutic decisions for colorectal cancer patients.”
For this study, Dr. Mann and his team focused on a protein called .
“Ku70 is an immune protein that acts as a repair agent, repairing breaks and damage to the instruction manual called DNA,” Dr. Mann explained.
“In this study, we observed that colorectal cancer patients have less Ku70 protein in their bodies and are more likely to die from the disease early in life. Our results suggest that it can be used as a biomarker in predicting cancer.
They also observed that Ku70 acts like a surveillance system to detect damaged DNA, working in conjunction with other immune proteins.
Russ andrough In colorectal cancer, healthy cells frequently change to prevent them from turning into cancer cells. ”— Dr. Si Ming Man, corresponding study author
Looking to the future, Dr. Mann will study the precise origins and characteristics of the DNA involved in Ku70-mediated activation of Ras and Raf to guide the development of new treatments and improve inflammatory diseases and cancer. He said it has the potential to improve the therapeutic outcomes of therapeutic drugs.
“A potential future direction of this research is to test whether Ku70 functions similarly in other cancers,” he added. “Studies that activate his Ku70 using small molecule drugs and/or DNA-based treatments are another potential avenue.”
MNT I also talked to Dr. Anton BilchikJohn, a surgical oncologist, medical director, and director of the gastrointestinal-hepatobiliary program at St. John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California, spoke about the study.
Dr. Bilchik said he found this study exciting and provocative because it identified a specific signaling pathway within cells that, if suppressed, promotes the progression of cells that can lead to colon cancer.
“And when certain mutations or expression of these genes increases, the opposite happens,” he added.
“Therefore, the relevance of these findings is that they identify specific signaling pathways that could be targeted for treatment of colorectal cancer.”
“And we’re seeing an epidemic of colorectal cancer among young people, people under 50,” Dr. Bilchik continued.
“Thus, all the information that provides insight into the causes of colorectal cancer does not mean that this study merely suggests specific signals or pathways that may lead to colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Yes, it is very important.”
Dr. Bilchik said there are common themes around the world as to why colorectal cancer rates are rising among young people.
“And what has been noted is that in certain countries where alcohol consumption is decreasing, such as France and Italy, the number of young people diagnosed with colorectal cancer is stable or decreasing. That is,” he elaborated.
“Unlike other countries, such as the UK and Scandinavia, where alcohol consumption is increasing, and we’re talking particularly among young adults, the incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer has increased compared to late-onset cancer. 50. ”
Dr. Bilchik said the next step in this research is to better define which specific cells are most relevant.
“Two of the known causes of colorectal cancer are related to the microbiome, the bacteria in the body, and the immune system. So we need to further explore how this impacts the microbiome and immune microenvironment. Many studies have shown that. And the most interesting thing is to find out what drugs can enhance or decrease expression.”
— Dr. Anton Bilchik, surgical oncologist