"Early detection is probably the only way for us to win the war against cancer," said Northwestern University's Vadim Backman when the school announced a breakthrough in the use of biophotonics for detecting cancer. While researchers at Queen Mary, University of London agree, they also believe that uncovering the secret to what causes normal, healthy cells to become cancerous may be the best way to detect cancer in its earliest form. This research is significant for all cancers, especially mesothelioma, in that it can be used to develop an early detection tool.
The key to increased life expectancy when battling mesothelioma is early detection. A screening tool that could quickly and effectively identify cancer in its earliest stage could save thousands of lives a year. Treating stage 1 mesothelioma that has not yet spread is easier, and includes more treatment options, than trying to treat the cancer after it has spread, or metastasized, to other sites throughout the body.
Pleural mesothelioma is a deadly type of cancer that forms in the lining around the lungs. Most often mesothelioma is not diagnosed until symptoms have turned to life-threatening complications. At this late stage, finding a cure is virtually impossible.
The research team found that the FOXM1 gene, that is present in almost all types of human cancers, "brain washes" normal cells so they adopt a 'memory' pattern similar to cancer cells. According to lead investigator Dr. Muy-Teck Teh, normal cells inherit specific instructions or 'memory' patterns by masking and unmasking parts of their DNA. In order for the cell to function normally, a cell must maintain its specific memory pattern. If the pattern gets disrupted, cancer can form in the cell.
In the test, researchers took normal human mouth cells and introduced high levels of FOXM1. The researchers observed that the normal cells actually changed and adopted the memory pattern to match mouth cancer cells. The researchers also "identified a number of key pattern changes that may be responsible for initiating cancer formation."
"These pattern changes may lead to the identification of biomarkers which could be developed into new diagnostic tests," said Teh. "This research has important clinical implications for early cancer diagnosis, prevention and treatment."
Detecting mesothelioma has challenged the medical community for years. Mesothelioma is diagnosed in 2,000 to 3,000 American's each year, with just as many dying from the disease. Although researchers have made progress in recent years, the ability to identify an effective early detection tool has remained elusive. Understanding the actions that lead to turning cells cancerous lends hope to mesothelioma advocates, researchers and physicians alike that a simple screening tool may be available to end the high mortality rate currently associated with mesothelioma.
The findings were reported in the online journal PLoS ONE on March 26.
