(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The key to successfully treating cancer is to catch
the disease in its earliest stages. Seattle researchers are tracking down a new
way to do just that.
They've found markers in cancerous tumors known as microRNAs they believe might
help doctors discover the disease while it's more likely to respond to
treatment.
MicroRNAs are tiny regulatory molecules known to play a role in a wide range of
normal cell processes. But in the case of cancer, the molecules malfunction.
These researchers, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discovered
cancer-related microRNAs don't just hide in cancer cells, but are actually
released into the bloodstream. That means a test for their early detection is
quite possible.
The technique could be superior to looking for protein biomarkers of cancer,
note the investigators, because the technology for finding microRNAs is more
advanced than the technology for identifying specific proteins.
"This research shows that microRNAs, which weren't previously thought of as
markers of cancer in the blood, are a worthwhile class of molecules to study for
the purpose of early cancer detection," study author Muneesh Tewari, M.D.,
Ph.D., was quoted as saying.
The researchers identified the microRNAs by studying blood from mice and men
with advanced prostate cancers, comparing it with blood from healthy controls.
Results showed the microRNAs found in the blood could correctly identify which
individuals were suffering from the cancer.
SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published online
July 28, 2008.
