Gene that halts ovarian cancer discovered
A gene that stops the development of ovarian cancer and which could pave the way for the development of new drugs against the deadly disease has been discovered.
In nearly 90% of the ovarian tumours tested, researchers at British charity Cancer Research UK found that the gene, called OPCML, was not functioning. The findings, which are reported in this week's issue of the journal Nature Genetics.
"It is an important step forward in the understanding of the basic process of ovarian cancer, and it adds one further important piece of the jigsaw puzzle of understanding what actually gives rise to this process," said Dr Hani Gabra, of the charity's oncology unit in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He and his colleagues found that the genes are switched off in the early stages of the disease, and do not make proteins. "But when we switch these genes back on in the cancer cells tumours, are suppressed," Gabra said.
The researchers believe if a drug could be developed to mimic the effects of the OPCML gene, it could provide a new treatment for the illness.
Ovarian is one the most common cancers in women. It is known as the silent killer because many women with the illness are not diagnosed until the disease is in an advanced stage. About 190,000 new cases and 114,000 deaths from ovarian cancer occur each year, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Its symptoms - pain, nausea, weight loss and abdominal swelling - can be confused with other ailments. Often the cancer is not detected until it has spread beyond the ovaries, when the five-year survival rate is around 20%.
Gabra believes the findings, which are reported in the journal Nature Genetics, could lead to earlier diagnosis of the illness and new therapies. Ovarian cancer is normally treated with surgery and chemotherapy.
When OPCML is switched on, as it is in normal cells, they do not become cancerous, but when something goes wrong and it is turned off, the disease occurs. "We now need to work on understanding more about this gene and exactly how it works and what makes it switch off," Gabra added.