What do cancer cells and a runny nose have in common? The answer is
mucus; and researchers at the Stephenson Cancer Center at the University
of Oklahoma have shown it may hold the key to making cancer treatment
better.
Most of us know about the thick, gooey stuff we blow from our noses
when we have a cold. In that instance, mucus protects the normal tissue
in the nose from drying out and helps the body recognize and fight off
invaders like bacteria and viruses.
Mucus also has been shown to play a role in cancer's resistance to
chemotherapy drugs, shielding cancer cells from the very drugs intended
to kill them, thereby allowing the cancer cells to grow and multiply
rapidly. Now, researchers at the Stephenson Cancer Center have
identified a way to potentially break through that defense when it comes
to pancreatic cancer. The Stephenson Cancer Center team has identified a gene target called
GCNT3 that may offer promise in improving the treatment of pancreatic
cancer. GCNT3 plays an important role in the biosynthesis of mucins, a
principal component of mucus.
"GCNT3 is minimally expressed in the normal pancreas, but our
research showed that it is significantly overexpressed during the
development of pancreatic cancer," said Mohammed. "This overexpression
correlates to excessive mucin production, rapid tumor growth and reduced
patient survival."
Rao explained the mucins effectively form a mesh that functions as
shield keeping chemotherapy drugs and the body's own immune system from
killing the cancer cells.
No comments:
Post a Comment