Novel therapy may eradicate lung cancer.Byline: ANI Washington, Oct 30 (ANI): Scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center have suggested a novel therapeutic strategy that would completely eradicate lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. . Researchers Pier Paolo Scaglioni and Georgia Konstantinidou have shown that using an investigative drug called BEZ235 in combination with low-dose radiation successfully eliminated non-small cell lung (NSCL NSCL National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (MSU) NSCL National Senior Classical League NSCL National Conference of Standards Laboratories NSCL Networked Supported Collaborative Learning ) cancer in mice. "These early results suggest that the drug-radiation combination might be an effective therapy in lung cancer patients," said Dr. Scaglioni. NSCL cancer cells cells once believed to be peculiar to cancers, but now know to be epithelial cells differing in no respect from those found elsewhere in the body, and distinguished only by peculiarity of location and grouping. See also: Cancer often harbor mutations in a gene called K-RAS. Patients with such K-RAS mutations typically are more resistant to treatment with radiation and have a poor prognosis. K-RAS mutations lead to the activation of networks, or pathways, of several so-called signaling proteins, which in turn play key roles in the regulation of tumor growth. One of these proteins, called PI3K PI3K Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase PI3K Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase , is activated to keep cells alive that have sustained DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. damage. Several components of the signaling pathways, including PI3K, have been investigated as possible anti-cancer drug targets. The investigational drug BEZ235 is currently being tested in clinical trials against PI3K and another signaling protein called mTOR.To date, no effective targeted therapy exists for NSCL cancer tumors that harbor K-RAS mutations," said Scaglioni. During the study, researchers exposed isolated cancer cells to BEZ235 followed by low doses of radiation, which induced small breaks in the DNA of the cells but otherwise would have no effect on cell survival. When this type of DNA damage occurs, cancer cells rely on the PI3K signaling pathway to survive while they repair their DNA. "We stressed the cells in such a way that they needed this signaling pathway to survive. Without the PI3K response, they will die," said Scaglioni. When the researchers treated the cells with BEZ235, which blocks PI3K, the stressed NSCL cancer cells readily underwent programmed cell death pro·grammed cell death n. See apoptosis. programmed cell death proposed system of cell death, often including poly(ADP)-ribosylation, ensures that a cell will not survive if it is so badly damaged that its recovery would harm the . (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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