New Discovery Could Improve Tracking and Treatment of Cancer

Breaking news about that could lead to better tracking and possible treatment of Cancer. With this new discovery we are one step closer to reaching the goal of a cure for cancer. With millions of people dying from cancer each year this could save millions of life each year. You may want to learn why this is so important and why this could at least lead to more lives saved for those that have Cancer. So lets get into the details of the study as reported on healthnews.com

A newly discovered blood biomarker that contains information about cancer tumors could lead to major advancement in the tracking and treatment of cancer. Tiny membrane-covered sacs are released from tumor cells and circulate freely in the blood. These sacs carry genetic information about the tumor from which they came. This information presents a new way to track, and possibly someday, treat cancer.

Xandra Breakefield of Massachusetts General Hospital, and her team, led by Johan Skog, conducted the new study. Breakefield described the contents of the membrane-covered sacs, known as exosomes, by stating, “They contain a little piece of the tumor cell in the blood stream. If you just look at these packets, you basically know what kind of mutations are in the tumor cell.” She explained that the information contained in exosomes about a cancer could offer a way to choose the best therapy, monitor a patient’s response to treatment, and possibly means to deliver therapies back to the tumor. She described the discovery as a “whole new concept of cell communication we didn't know tumors used.”

Breakefield acknowledged that for most forms of cancer, there is currently no reliable way to know what genetic mutations are contained in a tumor other than to draw a blood sample or perform a biopsy. Most current blood tests, including the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test to detect prostate cancer, check only for elevated levels of a specific protein. However, the use of exosomes may enable doctors to obtain specific information about a cancer from a blood test because they are blood biomarkers.

According to Skog in a telephone interview, various types of cells release exosomes as part of common cell-to-cell communication. Similarly, some types of tumors shed exosomes that contain proteins that have the capability of altering their environment to allow for more favorable conditions for tumor growth. “It's a form of cell communication that normal cells use but tumor cells use with a vengeance,” Skog said.

During the study, researchers analyzed exosomes shed by cells of glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer. Within the contents of these exosomes were fragments of the genetic messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA). Cell messengers that are associated with cell growth, immune response and the construction of new blood vessels were found.

The research group then exposed the exosomes to normal cells and the tumor RNA transported its genetic message into them. According to Breakefield, this is important information to know since no one had realized before that the tumor cells could communicate with their surroundings externally.

The research team also gathered and analyzed both blood and tissue samples from 25 patients suffering from brain cancer. Tumor exosomes were found in both types of samples. In addition, in the samples of two patients, a specific genetic mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene was detected that had been missed by a surgical biopsy.

The development of a blood test will be the first undertaking for utilizing the technology. However, Skog believes in the possibilities for use of the exosomes to deliver therapies to the cancer. “It is known that the effects of some anticancer drugs depend on a tumor's genetic mutational profile, so our results have broad implications for personalized medicine,” Skog explained. “Detecting mutational profiles through a noninvasive blood test could allow us to monitor how a tumor's genetic makeup changes in response to therapy, which may necessitate changes in treatment strategy,” he said.

The technology has been licensed to Exosome Diagnostics, Inc., by Massachusetts General Hospital. Skog has been appointed director of research at Exosome Diagnostics in addition to maintaining his position with Massachusetts General.

The findings of study appear in the journal Nature Cell Biology.