A research team from MedUni Vienna in Austria has discovered several specific changes in a protein that drives the growth and spread of prostate cancer, afflicting 20 percent with incurable metastases. What is it regarding?
Prostate cancers remain localized in most cases, giving affected individuals a good chance of survival. However, it has not yet been adequately explained why metastases occur in some people and not in others.
The study, which was recently published in the journal Molecular Cancer, opens new paths and research on the role of the KMT2C protein in prostate cancer. It is highlighted that KMT2C is a genetic component that functions essentially as a regulator of central cellular processes.
If KMT2C loses this regulatory ability due to typical cancer-related mutations, this promotes the proliferation of the cancer gene MYC. This, in turn, causes cells to divide at an even faster rate, fueling both the growth and spread of cancer.
“Our study provides new insights into the previously poorly understood transition from localized prostate cancer to end-stage metastatic prostate cancer.”study leader Lukas Kenner, from the Department of Pathology at MedUni Vienna, points out in a statement, underlining the importance of this research work.
Furthermore, the knowledge gained regarding the effects of KMT2C mutations may also generate new impetus for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. KMT2C mutation status can be measured by a blood test, allowing early diagnosis of potentially aggressive progression in prostate cancers.
Furthermore, MYC inhibitors might be used to prevent increased cell division and thus metastasis, and further scientific studies are expected to substantiate this.
MYC inhibitors are essentially new cancer treatment drugs that have already been tested in clinical trials and, if confirmed by further studies, they might also be used in metastatic prostate cancer in the coming years.
“Since a high level of KMT2C mutation characterizes many types of cancer, such as breast, lung, colorectal, bladder and even skin cancer, the results of our study have great potential in research, diagnosis and the treatment of malignant cancers in general”, points out Lukas Kenner.
The main symptoms of prostate cancer are difficulty starting to urinate, weak or interrupted urine flow, frequent urination, especially at night, difficulty emptying your bladder completely, pain or burning when you urinate, and blood in your urine or semen.
Similarly, it is necessary to highlight that the medical community calls for all men, following the age of 40 and at the time they begin to suffer symptoms related to the disease, to have a prostate exam.
Also, there are some foods that inflame the prostate and these include red meat, high-fat dairy products, baked goods, processed foods, butter, bacon, sausage, and cream. Experts recommend swapping them for fish with omega-3 fatty acids such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, herring, or trout, and avocados also stand out as being beneficial.
Although science grows more and more over time, there are still many diseases that continue to wreak havoc around the world, in view of this, it is necessary for people to constantly undergo medical check-ups.
*With information from Europa Press.
