Clues found in cancer spread
Scientists found that some cancers adapt to resist treatment
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Monday, 11, Feb 2008 03:48
Scientists have uncovered clues about how some cancers may become resistant to treatment, according to a new report.
The team found a new genetic mechanism which helps cancer cells survive by changing the way they respond to treatment.
Although the diagnosis and treatment of some cancers is improving, many tumours remain resistant to treatment.
Researchers behind the latest discovery hope it will help medics determine whether cancer patients will benefit from particular treatments.
They based their research on tumour cells containing a faulty version of the breast cancer gene BRCA2.
The team took tumour cells which contained faulty BRCA2 genes and then made them resistant to the drugs PARP inhibitors and carboplatin.
They also studied tumour cells from women with a faulty BRCA2 gene whose ovarian cancers had become resistant to carboplatin.
Both studies revealed a previously unknown genetic mechanism which had altered the faulty BRCA2 gene in the cancer cells, restoring its normal functions and making the cancer resistant to treatment.
Scientists believe this particular mechanism of resistance might be a common way by which many other types of cancer become resistant to treatment.
Professor Alan Ashworth said the ability of the cancer cells to repair genetic damage is similar to Charles Darwin's 'survival of the fittest' theory, where species adapt to survive.
"It allows cancer cells to survive by changing the way treatments affect them," he explained.
"By understanding this process we can alter patient treatment to counter the problem of resistance."
Commenting on the findings, Professor Herbie Newell, Cancer Research UK's executive director of translational research, said: "This research deepens our understanding of why some breast cancer patients with a faulty BRCA2 gene may stop responding to treatment.
"This type of research is becoming increasingly important as we seek to tailor cancer therapies to individual patients. Although at an early stage, this research may ensure that women are spared unnecessary treatment."