Thursday 26 February 2004
A gene crucial to the development and spread of bladder cancer has been identified by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research. This new discovery will hopefully lead to radical new treatments where drugs will directly target the faulty gene.
Cancer of the bladder is the most common cancer of the urinary tract with 12,500 people in the UK diagnosed with the disease each year and around 5,000 deaths.
In this study, Professor Colin Cooper’s team at The Institute of Cancer Research was co-funded by the Department of Health, Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council as part of a National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Initiative.
The scientists had been searching for new prostate cancer genes, when they came upon a gene that is implicated in bladder cancer. They compared the genes in healthy bladder cells with those in bladder cancer cells and found that there were multiple copies of the gene E2F3 in the tumour cells.
The protein produced by the E2F3 gene plays a crucial role in all human cells by controlling cell division. But in the bladder cancer cells multiple copies of the gene means that too much of the protein is produced leading to excessive cell proliferation and the development of a tumour. The scientists measured the amount of E2F3 protein in the bladder cancer cells by tagging it, thus showing clearly how much of the E2F3 protein was present in each cell.
The scientists found that the amount of E2F3 protein in each cell was directly linked to the grade of the tumour and the stage of the cancer. For example in cells from a grade 1 tumour, only 12.5 per cent showed intense staining where there was large amounts of the protein, but in grade 3, the most aggressive tumour cells, 53% showed that there was a large amount of protein present.
In more advanced cancers where the tumours had spread to surrounding muscle, 56% of the cells contained a large amount of the protein, while only 18% of superficial non-muscle invasive cancers showed an over-expression of E2F3. Therefore the scientists concluded that the more E2F3 protein there was in the cell, the more advanced and aggressive the cancer was.
Previous studies have shown that in many cases of bladder cancer a specific region on chromosome 6 is multiplied many times and these cases are linked to a more aggressive cancer at diagnosis and a greater spread of the cancer cells. A number of genes are involved, but without knowing about the vital role of E2F3, it was impossible to understand the development and spread of the disease.
Professor Colin Cooper at The Institute of Cancer Research explains,
“ This is a very exciting development, E2F3 is the missing link in our knowledge of this disease. We knew that other genes had a part to play, suppressing the production of the protein RB1, but it is the way that this works together with the increased production of the E2F3 protein that allows the cells to proliferate without the normal controls and develop into tumours.’’
“These findings will boost the development of new treatments to target bladder cancer as well as predicting the aggressiveness of a particular cancer leading to tailor-made, more effective treatments for each individual patient.”
Scientists suspect that the E2F3 gene is implicated in other cancers. Its detection will herald a series of discoveries by scientists at The Institute which could lead to the development of drugs which can directly target the fault in the gene.
Professor Rigby, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research comments “We are delighted that this discovery has been made here at The Institute, where we have isolated more cancer related genes than any other organisation in the world. We await other findings that will arise from this discovery with anticipation.”
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For further information, or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Marie MacLean
Press Officer
Institute of Cancer Research
Tel: 020 7153 5359
Email: [email protected]
Notes to editors
- The Institute of Cancer Research is a centre of excellence with leading scientists working on cutting edge research. It was founded in 1909 to carry out research into the causes of cancer and to develop new strategies for its prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
- The Institute works in a unique partnership with The Royal Marsden Hospital, which enables scientific discoveries to be translated quickly into patient care.
- The Institute is a charity that relies on voluntary income. The Institute is a highly cost-effective major cancer research organisation with over 90p in every £ directly supporting research.
- The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) is a partnership between the major Government, Charity and Industry funders of cancer research. The role of NCRI is to maintain a strategic oversight of cancer research in the UK and co-ordinate activities between funding bodies.
- Professor Cooper is the Principal Investigator of a NCRI Prostate Cancer Collaborative at ICR, funded by the Department of Health, Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council.
- Cancer Research UK is Europe’s leading cancer charity, dedicated to curing, treating and preventing the disease through world-class research. It relies almost entirely on voluntarily donations from the public to fund the vital work of its 3000 scientists, doctors and nurses. Its grants provide approximately 25% of The Institute of Cancer Research’s total income.
- The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the UK tax-payer. Its business is medical research aimed at improving human health; everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it supports and the scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and the academic world. MRC has funded work which has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in medicine in the UK. About half of the MRC's expenditure of over £412 million is invested in its 40 plus Institutes, Units and Centres, where it employs its own research staff. The remaining half goes in the form of grant support and training awards to individuals and teams in universities and medical schools. Web site at: www.mrc.ac.uk.
Please note:
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