Although cancer treatment has advanced today, it is still a dreaded disease for most people. Some types of cancer are still on top of the list as those that have many deaths. Now the new genes that check cancer spread has been seen by researchers.
The battle against cancer goes on. Many cancer types are still considered to be deadly, and the search for a definitive cancer cure remains elusive. A research done by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute though might provide some hope. Researchers there have identified the genes that could check the spread of cancer tumors.
One of the genes that has been identified is known as Spns2. Removing the gene has been shown to be responsible in reducing tumor spread by as much as three quarters. This has greatly helped in the survival of cancer patients.
Stopping the spread of cancer tumors is vital. Once metastasis occurs, cancer survival is greatly reduced. Cancer metastasis has been known to cause much of cancer deaths. As much as 90 percent of cancer deaths have been attributed to cancer metastasis.
Knowing which genes could stop metastasis has become important. In order to find out which of those genes can do this, the researchers studied genetically engineered mice that have specific genes removed from them. The mice have cancer metastasis in them. 810 of the genes have been studied and the researchers have identified 23 that could possibly increase or decrease cancer metastasis, according to Science Daily.
Of all the genes identified, the Spns2 gene has the biggest effect. Removing the Spns2 gene has greatly reduced the chance of the tumors from spreading. This has been seen when tumors did not spread to the lungs, as Alpha Galileo reports. The researchers have seen the same effect when the Spns2 gene was removed and tumors from cancers such as the colon and breast did not spread as well.
Dr. David Adams has observed that taking out the Spns2 gene has greatly reduced the chances of cancer from spreading. He also said that mice without the Spns2 gene had a different ratio of immune system cells from those that have the gene. This is significant, as the Spns2 gene before the study has not been shown to affect cancer spread, although it has been shown to affect the immune system.
The future of cancer treatment has much hope with the study. New genes that check cancer spread have been seen. A new subtype of cervical cancer has also been discovered.
