Biopeer

C-reactive protein may indicate prostate cancer survival

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that the C-reactive protein (CRP) may indicate the chances of survival in prostate cancer patients. As per research, higher CRP levels are found when inflammation is present in the body. Researchers evaluated patients' correlating CPR levels in cancer treatment and in their survival rate. Patients recieved docetaxel and DN-101 (a high dose formulation of calcitriol) or docetaxel with a placebo. The results from the Phase 2 clinical trial showed that a combination of DN-101 and docetaxel increased the chances of survival by 49% and reduced the frequency of serious adverse events by 34%, as compared to the use of Taxotere alone. “While sometimes inflammation may slow the cancer, an increasing body of evidence suggests that cancer can take advantage of the inflammatory response and the inflammatory cytokines released by the immune reaction may in fact fuel cancer progression. To the extent that our hypothesis proves true, C-reactive protein may be reflecting the overall intensity of the inflammation,” said Tomasz Beer, director of the Prostate Cancer Research program at the OHSU Cancer Institute.

Researchers based in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., have found that the drug – gabapentin – reduces hot flashes in patients undergoing anti-hormonal treatment for prostate cancer. The study involved four groups of men aged 70 years who experienced hot flashes 14 times a week. The first group received placebo pills, another group received a 300 mg/d (milligrams a day) tablet of gabapentin, the third group received an escalating dose of gabapentin that reached 600 mg/d, and the fourth group’s dose reached 900 mg/d. The results showed that the median hot flash frequency and the score decreased between 32% to 34% in the 600 mg/d group, and 44% to 46% in the 900 mg/d gabapentin group.

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New insights to battle prostate cancer

A new molecular diagnostic test that detects prostate cancer based on the presence of a certain gene was launched at the annual meeting of the British Association of Urological Surgeons Section of Oncology (BAUS). The test christened as PCA3 assay, is the discovery of Dr Marion Bussemakers. It works by detecting an over-expression of PCA3 mRNA in urine. According to the studies, PCA3 mRNA is over-expressed up to 60 to 100 times in more than 95 per cent of prostate cancer cases therefore, the test when used in combination with serum PSA will help to identify appropriate biopsy patients resulting in better detection and diagnosis of the disease.

A new study suggests that men with long-term diabetes have lower risk of prostate cancer. This hypothesis was derived from an analytical study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2002 to establish a link between diabetes and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. The comparison showed that the average PSA levels were 21.6 per cent lower among men with diabetes to those without. However, Dr. Mona Saraiya from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta says that the accuracy of this thesis may be questionable.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University predict that men consuming low cholesterol diet reduce chances of acquiring the most hostile form of prostate cancer. As a part of the study, the scientists measured plasma concentration of total cholesterol from samples of 698 men suffering from prostate cancer and another 698 men who were cancer-free. The results of the analysis revealed that low plasma cholesterol level ensured an overall lower prostate cancer risk.

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Progress in prostate and esophageal cancer research

American scientists from Duke University Medical Center have developed an experimental drug that effectively destroys prostate cancer but does not harm the normal cells. The line of attack involves delivering small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to tumor cells. The drug has been successfully tested in mice. It was found that over a period of two weeks, the tumors in mice treated with the drug saw a 2.21-fold reduction in volume. On the other hand, the volume of tumors left untreated increased 3.63-fold during the same time span. Also, the mice treated with the drug did not exhibit any side effects.

Meanwhile, researchers from Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, have found that capsaicin, found in chili peppers, drives prostate cancer cells to kill themselves. In the study conducted in collaboration with UCLA, mice with prostate cancer were orally fed the chili peppers. It was found that the tumors treated with capsaicin were about one-fifth the size of tumors in non-treated mice.

Also, researchers from Rhode Island have found a possible reason for acid reflux leading to cancer of the esophagus. The study looked at human cancer cells and biopsies from patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE). The researchers found that acid exposure leads to an increase in calcium in Barrett's esophageal cancer cells, thus activating a cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). This stimulates the enzyme NOX5-S and causes an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). As a result, cell growth increases and cell death decreases, a conducive environment for cancer to develop. For the first time, the researchers have also identified NOX5 as the source of ROS. They hope that the findings will lead to the development of therapeutic targets.

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Research in cancer diagnostics makes progress

American researchers have developed a new blood test that could transform the way prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated. The new test has been developed at John Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, is more accurate than the standard PSA test and can also detect cancers that have started to spread. The test looks for the protein called early prostate cancer antigen-2 or EPCA-2. Those who have a minimum of 30 ngml of EPCA-2 are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. When tried on 330 patients, the test correctly showed negative in 97 per cent of those who did not have the disease and identified prostate cancer patients with 94 per cent accuracy. The researchers hope that the test will be available for clinical use in 18 months.

Meanwhile, researchers from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have found that Positron emission tomography (PET) scans can help doctors find out whether breast cancer has spread to the axillary lymph nodes. In a trial, women were injected with fludeoxyglucose F18 (FDG) and a chemical tracer and were then subjected to a PET scan. The researchers analyzed the scans to determine how much FDG was absorbed and set 2.3 as the standard uptake value. It was found that the PET scans were 72 per cent accurate in detecting tumors and detected 60 per cent of axillary metastases.

Also, researchers from the University of North Carolina have determined the molecular process in cells that is vital in the development of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The findings explain how the fusion of proteins created by flawed chromosomes can trigger leukemia development and the important role of the enzyme hDOT1L. The researchers now want to explore the possibility of developing drugs that target this enzyme.

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Studies delve deeper into cancer

Recent studies have provided crucial insights into the diagnostic and treatment possibilities of cancer.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have developed a blood test that could one day help detect lung cancer in the early stages in people with high risk factors for developing the disease. The multi-biomarker blood test works by identifying the body's own immune response to tumors. The study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, shows the test to be 90 per cent accurate in predicting non-small-cell lung cancer years before a CT scan can find it. For the next two years, the research team will collaborate with private biotechnology company 20/20 GeneSystems to develop the clinical application for the blood test.

Danish researchers have found that mutation of the gene CHEK2 can increase the chances of a woman developing breast cancer. A study involving 9,231 Danes found that women who carried the mutation were 3.2 times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who had normal CHEK2 genes.

A study by the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has found that prostate cancer cells can use three different signaling pathways to inactivate the protein BAD that causes cell death, and resist hormone treatment to stay alive. The finding that BAD is important in the development and growth of prostate cancer may help in developing more effective drug treatments.

Meanwhile, the Chinese market welcomed an indigenous medicine for treating lung cancer. Clinical trials on hundreds of patients found the new drug to be more effective than chemotherapy when it came to controlling the tumor, strengthening the immune system, prolonging life and improving life quality. The herbal medicine is marketed in the form of dry granules as it was the best way to preserve the biological quality of the natural Chinese medicine.

Prostate cancer drug approved in UK

Men suffering from prostate cancer in UK can heave a sigh of relief. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in UK has approved the use of docetaxcel for the treatment of late-stage prostate cancer.

Docetaxcel is sold under the brand name Taxotere by Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. NICE has proposed that it should be made available to all patients in need in England and Wales on the National Health Service (NHS). Experts like Chris Hiley, of the Prostate Cancer Charity, hailed the decision as a “major step forward in prostate cancer treatment.” However, they agreed that further research is necessary to test the efficacy of the drug in the earlier stages of aggressive prostate cancer in younger men.

Prostate cancer is treated with hormonal therapiess that stop testosterone from aiding the cancer. However, in the later stages, patients stop responding to this treatment. Docetaxcel is a chemotherapy drug originally used in the treatment of breast cancer. But a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004 proved that it extended the lives of late-stage prostate cancer patients by 18.9 months. It fights cancer by obstructing the means by which tumor cells divide. By reducing the pain and weight loss, it also enhances the quality of life.

In the UK, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and accounts for almost 1 in 4 of all new male cancers diagnosed. It is also the cause of 14 per cent of male deaths from cancer.

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Combination treatment better for prostate cancer

Researchers from an Italian university have found that a combination of two existing treatments yields better results in the fight against metastatic prostate cancer. The findings were presented in the US at the Annual 53rd American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting in Atlanta.

The two treatments under consideration are - radionuclide therapy and chemotherapy. Giuliano Mariani, MD, Director, Regional Center of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Pisa Medical School and the author of the study said that he and his colleagues have found that a combination of the two methods may aid in the regression of the disease and even enhance the chances of long-term survival in patients. In a majority of the patients who have been offered this treatment so far, the disease has either stabilized or regressed in a period of six months. The new treatment protocol also offers pain relief. The research was based on the use of radioisotope Samarium-153 with carrier EDTMP nuclide therapy along with chemotherapy. This is good news especially for patients suffering from metastatic prostate cancer that is not responding to hormonal therapy.

The combination treatment also led to the lowering of the men’s prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. The blood toxic levels found are similar to those found when the treatments are provided separately. However, the researchers admitted that further studies would have to be undertaken to establish whether an increase in the dosage would improve the rate at which the disease could be stopped. A higher dosage has the risk of causing toxic side effects to the patient and so it is vital to determine the maximum dosage that can be administered safely.

Significant breakthrough in understanding Prostate cancer

In a significant breakthrough that is going to revolutionize treatment of prostate cancer treatment, Australian scientists have been successful in replicating actual human prostate cells from embryonic stem cells. This is a significant breakthrough towards understanding the progression of the prostrate from a healthy to a diseased state. Human prostrate cells were developed in mice after implanting them with combination of human embryonic stem cells and mouse prostrate cells. This development will throw light on the factors that lead to prostrate cancer and thus enable to produce drugs that curb and cure the disease.

In another parallel study conducted at the University of California, researchers have been able to identify the virus that causes prostrate cancer in patients with a certain genetic defect. The virus that has been found is similar to ones seen in mice.  The findings are crucial as they indicate that prostrate cancer may be an infectious disease and not as known otherwise. If further studies do prove the impact of this virus on prostrate it could lead to a therapeutic cure for the disease rather than a painful surgery.

Another parallel study carried out on prostrate cancer patients has shown that it is better to operate on the prostate via surgery or radiation therapy rather than deferring treatment. A study carried out on more than 48,000 patients suffering from the disease has shown that people going for the surgery live longer than untreated patients.

Prostrate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. All the three studies are expected to make significant contributions to early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer: A new hope

Prostate cancer is one of the leading cancers globally and is responsible for nearly a quarter of a million deaths per year. In America alone, 30,350 men are projected to succumb to the disease this year.

However, there appears to be some hope now for victims as latest research indicates a more accurate way to diagnose and treat the ailment. Per the findings, published in the journal Science by University of Michigan (UM) and Harvard University teams, therapeutic targeting of drugs to treat prostate cancer could well be a reality now. Dr Arul Chinnaiyan, professor of pathology in the UM Medical School avers, “The work will allow us to categorize prostate tumors by molecular subtype, which could help determine the most effective treatment for each patient”.

Currently, there is no accurate way to detect prostate cancer and no treatment particularly used to interfere with molecular changes in the disease. A blood test, the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is credited with earlier diagnosis of the disease, but it often misses tumors.

The new study has revealed fused genes in solid tumors, enabling determination that prostate genes merge in a programmed or non-random way. Though scientists are yet to decipher as to what causes two genes specifically associated with prostate cancer to fuse or merge with a family of other genes that regulate how genes are over activated or under activated, the National Cancer Institute has hailed the research as a “paradigm shift” in the study of solid tumors. “The finding of a fused gene in prostate cancer is creating a new frontier in developing tests for earlier detection of cancer and molecular targeting”, according to Sudhir Srivastava, Chief of the Cancer Biomarkers Research Program at the Cancer Institute.

It may be wise to exercise caution though, as UM scientists are still in the early stages of developing a test to detect the fused prostate cancer genes in blood or urine.

UK prostate test to unveil markers for aggressive tumours

Scientists from the Institute of Cancer Research in London have unveiled a "checkerboard" method of discovering "markers of cancer genes in multiple tissue samples taken using tiny needles inserted into the prostate gland."

The technique is explained in the recent online British Journal of Cancer. Each biopsy sample is cut into cubes which are then rearranged into an exposed cross-section. The cross-section is then made into a checkerboard pattern called a tissue microarray. This allows a small sample to be used for many simultaneous tests.

Research on the effectiveness of this technique in revealing markers is expected to take two years. One potential marker is a protein made by a gene called E2F3 which is linked to aggressive tumours.