Tuesday 8 June 2004
In research published next month*, scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research’s Everyman Centre announce a major advance in our understanding of the genetic basis of prostate cancer. The groundbreaking discovery of the overactive E2F3 gene in prostate cancer tumours for the first time will allow doctors to predict how aggressive the cancer will be.
Until now the disease has baffled scientists, with less being known about prostate cancer than any of the other major cancers. Now this gene discovery by Professor Colin Cooper’s team at The Institute of Cancer Research in collaboration with Prof Chris Foster at The University of Liverpool has unexpectedly shed light on the disease and has advanced prostate cancer research by years. It may provide scientists with an exciting new drug target as well as enabling them to develop a test to distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive prostate cancer cells.
The new research by Professor Colin Cooper’s team at The Institute of Cancer Research is an example of the main cancer research funders working together to tackle a major disease. Co-funded by the Department of Health, Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council as part of a NCRI Prostate Cancer Collaborative, the research discovered that E2F3 is a marker of how aggressive the prostate tumour will be. It is now hoped that a long sought after test could soon be a reality that will benefit thousands of men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.
*To be published in Oncogene. For advance online publication visit www.nature.com/onc/
Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer to affect men in the UK, 27,000 cases are diagnosed each year and the disease kills 10,000 men a year. By the age of 65 many men will have some cancer cells in the prostate, but most can live out their natural span without the disease ever causing them any ill effects.
However, without a marker to distinguish the harmless from the aggressive cancer cells, patients have been presented with the dilemma of whether or not to opt for treatments that can carry a real risk of serious and permanent side effects including incontinence and impotence.
Professor Colin Cooper explains:
“A test to distinguish between aggressive tumours, the tigers, and those that are pussycats has been the holy grail of prostate cancer research. Many thousands of men are being given invasive treatments that they do not require, but we have been unable to distinguish them from the men who urgently need life saving treatment. Now we know that the E2F3 gene is implicated in prostate cancer and that it is key in determining how aggressive the cancer is, we hope to be able to develop such a test within the next five years.”
The scientists, who earlier in the year published research linking the E2F3 gene to bladder cancer, compared genes in healthy prostate cells with cells from 147 different prostate cancer tumours and found that there was also an overexpression of E2F3 in prostate cancer cells.
The protein produced by the E2F3 gene plays a crucial role in all human cells by controlling cell division. In the prostate cancer cells, the overactive E2F3 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 prostate cancer cells by tagging it, thus showing clearly how much of the E2F3 protein is present in each cell.
The scientists found no staining in the healthy prostate cells, whereas 67% of prostate cancer cells had some degree of staining indicating the presence of E2F3. Moreover they noted that higher the level of staining (and the more E2F3) the worse the prognosis was for the patient.
Research is now underway to translate this finding into a test, so that thousands of prostate cancer patients can be spared unnecessary treatment while those with an aggressive cancer can be given the life saving treatment they require to beat the disease.
Earlier this month scientists from Everyman centre at The Institute of Cancer Research called for £500,000 to help fund their research into developing the so called tiger/ pussycat test for prostate cancers.
Professor Peter Rigby, Chief Executive at The Institute of Cancer Research comments:
“We now find ourselves in the unique and exciting position of being able to test new early markers of prostate cancer progression, which previously had not been possible. A rapid and immediate expansion of our research in this area is required so that our scientific advances can be translated into patient benefit without delay.”
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For further information, or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Marie MacLean
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Notes to editors
- Currently the only test for early prostate cancer is measuring PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). PSA is a protein made by the prostate gland, which leaks into the bloodstream naturally. Sometimes a raised PSA level can be a sign of prostate cancer. More often, it is caused by something less serious like an inflamed prostate (prostatitis) or an enlargement of the prostate that comes with ageing (benign prostatic hypertrophy). A single PSA test cannot show you whether a prostate cancer is present, or whether it is slow or fast growing.
- A new approach for early prostate cancer is being trialled by The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust ‘Active Surveillance’ aims to individualise therapy by selecting only those men with significant cancers for radical treatment. Men who, in the past would have had either surgery or radiotherapy, are closely monitored with frequent PSA tests and with repeat prostate biopsies. The choice between radical treatment or continued observation is based on evidence of progression during this initial monitoring. Early results have shown that two thirds of selected patients may be safely spared invasive treatment for their prostate cancer.
- 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 The Institute of Cancer Research, 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.
- 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. www.mrc.ac.uk
- The Department of Health invests over £550 million a year in research to
support government objectives for public health, health services and social
care. Over £80 million of this investment is spent on cancer research.
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