A brand new treatment pathway might be able to help fight bowel cancer, scientists reveal.
An immune system protein named Ku70 may be triggered to combat bowel cancer after being "switched on" by a cocktail of drugs, according to a new paper in the journal Science Advances. Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the third most common cancer in the United States (excluding skin cancers), with around 150,000 new cases being recorded annually.
It is also the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. About 53,000 people are expected to die from the cancer in 2024, according to the American Cancer Society. Bowel cancer can be survivable if caught as early as possible.
The new research by the Australian National University has found a possible new treatment for bowel cancer by utilizing Ku70.
"We find that people with bowel cancer carry less amount of certain immune proteins in their body and are more likely to die from their disease earlier in life," Si Ming Man, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Australian National University, told Newsweek. "The immune protein called Ku70 is a good immune biomarker, meaning it helps us to predict who will fare better or worse after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.
"We show that Ku70 is like a surveillance system that picks up damaged DNA in our cells. These damaged DNA can come from your own cells that are dying or dead or from microbes that live within our body. Ku70 'cools' off cancer cells, mops up damaged DNA, and instructs and maintains the cell in a dormant state, meaning it is no longer able to grow and divide. This is important because it helps [stop] healthy cells from turning into cancer cells or cancer cells continuing to become a tumor."
They found that mutations in the gene that codes for Ku70 are associated with the development of colorectal cancer. Therefore, drugs targeting Ku70 and the complexes it forms with other proteins may help the molecule prevent bowel cancers from spreading.
"Therapeutics targeting components of the Ku70 signalosome could improve the treatment outcomes in cancer," the authors wrote in the paper.
Future bowel cancer screening could also include checking the levels of Ku70 in abnormal growths.
"Our research shows that developing new drugs that can 'turn on' Ku70 can help fight bowel cancer. Checking the amount of Ku70 in pre-cancerous polyps could help guide the frequency of bowel cancer screens," Man said.
"Sunday, February 4, is World Cancer Day. We hope our cancer research at the ANU helps raise awareness of cancer prevention, detection, and treatment on this important day."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. ... Read more
