New cancer test uncovered
A new approach to finding out whether or not someone’s prostate cancer is aggressive has been uncovered, scientists said today.
According to a study in the British Journal of Cancer Research, tiny bubbles of fat passed in urine could hold the key to deciding if rapid treatment is required.
Researchers have discovered that information contained in the fatty capsules, called exosomes, comes straight from the tumour.
The findings will provide doctors with a new method to test if a cancer is an aggressive type rather than the dormant type which will not progress and can be left untreated.
Exosomes are found in urine from people with and without cancer, but seem to be excreted in large quantities by some cancer cells.
They contain ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules which travel directly from the tumour and can be used to work out which genes are turned on and off in an individual’s cancer.
Different genes are switched on and off in aggressive and dormant prostate cancers.
Invasive treatment can leave men with long-term side effects, including incontinence and impotence, so distinguishing between the aggressive and dormant tumours is a big challenge for researchers in the field.
Until now, medics have used levels of proteins, like prostate specific antigen (PSA), produced by cancer cells to try to spot the aggressive tumours.
The new approach detailed in the study focuses on analysing RNA – which is involved in the production of proteins such as PSA – to find out which genes have gone wrong inside the cancer.
Dr Jonas Nilsson, lead author based at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, said: “We hope that this innovative approach to studying prostate cancer will reveal new biomarkers for aggressive tumours.
“Tumour-derived RNA is preserved in these capsules and gives us an insight into the genetics of an individual’s tumour.”
