In a potentially groundbreaking discovery, researchers have found bacteria that may be linked to prostate cancer tumors. Although the exact role of the microorganisms is still unknown, this new information might lead to the development of new and more effective treatments for prostate cancer. Your work will be according to that Guardian already hailed as a potential revolution in the prevention and treatment of the deadliest form of the disease.
Around 170 out of 100,000 men in Germany develop prostate cancer every year
For their investigations, the scientists, led by the University of East Anglia, subjected the urine and prostate tissue of more than 600 men with and without prostate cancer to a sophisticated genetic analysis and found five types of bacteria that are associated with the rapid progression of the disease.
The results in the journal European Urology Oncology might lead to new screening programs and pave the way for personalized antibiotic treatments to protect high-risk men from the disease. the German Cancer Aid provides statistics on its website to the illness:
“Statistically speaking, 169.8 out of 100,000 men in Germany are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. A total of 70,100 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men. The mean age at diagnosis is 71 years.”
Thanks to improved education and screening, diagnosis rates have risen sharply in recent years, but there are still no effective methods of preventing or treating aggressive prostate cancer. The new study provides clear evidence that bacteria play a role in the development of prostate cancer – and opens up exciting new avenues for research.
“This is an exciting discovery that has the potential to truly revolutionize the treatment of men with prostate cancer,” the Guardian quoted Dr. Hayley Luxton from Prostate Cancer UK. The findings might herald a turning point in the treatment of this disease.
Challenges for treatments still have to be mastered
However, lead scientist Colin Cooper, professor of cancer genetics at the University of East Anglia, admits there is still an element of uncertainty. So it is possible that the bacteria are not involved in the disease. For example, men with more aggressive cancers may be more likely to develop inflammation and infection in their prostate, which might lead to the presence of these bacteria. However, it might also be that the bacteria are present but do not cause any damage. Accordingly, further research is needed to determine the role of these bacteria in prostate cancer.
The possibility that an antibiotic might be used to target the bacterial cause of the disease seems like a glimmer of hope for patients. However, there are still significant challenges to making such treatment a reality. For example, antibiotics have had difficulty penetrating the prostate, so any potential therapy would have to be highly targeted to specific bacteria.
picture of Arek Socha on Pixabay
