Cause of metastasis in prostate cancer discovered
MedUni Vienna study generates new momentum for diagnosis and treatment


Date:
April 4, 2022
Source:
Medical University of Vienna
Summary:
Prostate cancers remain localized in the majority of cases, giving
affected individuals a good chance of survival. However, about 20%
of patients develop incurable metastatic prostate cancer, resulting
in approximately 5,000 deaths each year in Austria alone. Medical
research has not yet adequately explained why metastases occur in
some people and not in others. A research team has now discovered
specific changes in a protein that drive the growth and spread of
prostate cancer.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Prostate cancers remain localised in the majority of cases, giving
affected individuals a good chance of survival. However, about 20%
of patients develop incurable metastatic prostate cancer, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths each year in Austria alone. Medical research
has not yet adequately explained why metastases occur in some people
and not in others. A research team at MedUni Vienna has now discovered
specific changes in a protein that drive the growth and spread of prostate cancer. The study was recently published in the journal Molecular Cancer.


==========================================================================
In the study, the researchers broke new ground and investigated the role
of the protein KMT2C in prostate cancer. KMT2C is a genetic component that essentially functions as a regulator of central cellular processes. If
KMT2C loses this regulatory ability due to typical cancer-related
mutations, this encourages the proliferation of the cancer gene MYC. This
in turn causes cells to divide at an increased rate, driving both growth
and spread of the cancer.

New insights into the transition to metastasis "Our study provides new
insights into the previously poorly understood transition from localised prostate cancer to terminal metastatic prostate cancer," says study leader Lukas Kenner (Department of Pathology at MedUni Vienna, Comprehensive
Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, Department
of Laboratory Animal Pathology at Vetmeduni Vienna and the K1 Center
CBmed), underlining the significance of the research work. In addition,
the knowledge gained about the effects of KMT2C mutations may also
generate new momentum for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

Diagnosing aggressive progression at an early stage KMT2C mutation status
can be measured via a blood test, allowing early diagnosis of potentially aggressive progression in prostate cancers. In addition, MYC inhibitors
could be used to prevent increased cell division, and hence metastasis,
and it is hoped that further scientific studies will substantiate
this. MYC inhibitors are essentially new cancer treatment drugs that
have already been tested in clinical trials and -- if further studies
confirm this -- could also be used in metastatic prostate cancer in the
next few years. "Since a high level of KMT2C mutation characterises
many types of cancer, such as breast, lung, colorectal, bladder and
even skin cancer, our study results have a great deal of potential in
the research, diagnosis and treatment of malignant cancers in general,"
says Lukas Kenner.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Medical_University_of_Vienna. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Tanja Limberger, Michaela Schlederer, Karolina Trachtova', Ines
Garces de
los Fayos Alonso, Jiaye Yang, Sandra Ho"gler, Christina Sternberg,
Vojtech Bystry, Jan Oppelt, Boris Tichy', Margit Schmeidl, Petra
Kodajova, Anton Ja"ger, Heidi A. Neubauer, Monika Oberhuber,
Belinda S.

Schmalzbauer, Sarka Pospisilova, Helmut Dolznig, Wolfgang Wadsak,
Zoran Culig, Suzanne D. Turner, Gerda Egger, Sabine Lagger, Lukas
Kenner. KMT2C methyltransferase domain regulated INK4A expression
suppresses prostate cancer metastasis. Molecular Cancer, 2022; 21
(1) DOI: 10.1186/s12943- 022-01542-8 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220404105723.htm

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