Prostate cancer study may lead to new diagnostic tests and treatments

Prostate cancer patients have been offered hope after scientists at Newcastle University have identified a new group of molecules that could be targeted to slow tumour growth.

Our findings are very significant for future treatments as they identify a new group of molecules in prostate cancer which could be targeted therapeutically. 

Experts used an advanced screening technique which found hundreds of genes were affected by the male hormone testosterone. It is believed this could lead to new diagnostic tests and treatments.

Among the 700 genes identified was an important set that add sugar groups – known as glycans – to the surface of prostate cancer cells. This group has never been investigated before.

Treatments targeting glycan sugar groups have been developed for other types of the illness, such as breast cancer. It is hoped these treatments could also be used for prostate cancer.

Results of the research suggest that testosterone changes glycans to make cancer cells more likely to survive, grow and spread to other parts of the body. 

Scientists say there is the potential to target these glycans which could stop the growth and spread of tumours and save lives.

Dr Jennifer Munkley, Research Associate at the Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, co-led the three-year research project with Professor David Elliott.

She said: “Our findings are very significant for future treatments as they identify a new group of molecules in prostate cancer which could be targeted therapeutically.

“Now we have identified these glycans we will be able to develop strategies to inhibit them and help patients with this condition.

Glycans have the potential to be used as part of a diagnostic test to help doctors decide which prostate cancers need treatment.

One in eight men will be diagnosed with the condition. It is the most common cancer in UK males, and there is a need to identify how the disease progresses and for treatment options to be established.

Researchers at Newcastle University used a technique, called RNA-sequencing, to identify the new set of genes that are important.

The genes identified may provide novel ways the disease can be monitored in patients to predict the most aggressive prostate cancers that need to be treated.

Simon Grieveson, Head of Research Funding at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “There’s a desperate need for more treatments for men with advanced prostate cancer, who currently have too few options available to them.

“However, in order to develop new, effective treatments, we need to understand more about the genetic makeup of aggressive prostate cancers and identify what makes them tick.

“This promising research has unearthed a new group of genes which could play a part in cancer cell survival and development, and could pave the way for new treatments in the future.

Newcastle University www.ncl.ac.uk/press/news/2016/07/prostatecancerstudy/