A new study has found that a specific gene in cancerous prostate tumors indicates when patients are at high-risk for the cancer to spread, suggesting that targeting this gene can help patients live longer.
The study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, identified the NSD2 gene through a computer algorithm developed to determine which cancer genes that spread in a mouse model were most relevant to humans. The researchers were able to turn off the gene in the mice tumor cells, which significantly decreased the cancer's spread. In particular, nuclear receptor binding SET Domain Protein 2 (NSD2) is robustly expressed in lethal prostate cancer in humans, while its silencing inhibits metastasis of mouse allografts in vivo.
"Currently, when a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer, physicians can determine how advanced a tumor is but not whether the patients' cancer will spread," said the lead author. "If we can determine whether a patient's cancer is likely to spread at the time of diagnosis, we can start them on a targeted treatment plan as soon as possible to decrease the likelihood of their cancer spreading."
Researchers are researching a potential drug to target NSD2, but they encourage doctors to begin incorporating NSD2 screening so they can start high-risk patients on anti-metastatic treatment as soon as possible.
While the algorithm used in the study focused on prostate cancer, the lead author said it can be applied more broadly to study other cancers to better understand what findings can be translated to people.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths.
https://news.rutgers.edu/research-news/rutgers-scientist-identifies-gene-responsible-spread-prostate-cancer/20190116#.XD-G5M9KgQk
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07511-4
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