Gene That Causes the Spread of Cancer Found

SCIENTISTS at Liverpool university have identified a new gene that causes the spread of cancer.

The dramatic discovery by the university’s Cancer and Polio Research Fund Laboratories could mean new hope to those suffering secondary tumours.

The gene, S100P, causes the spread of cancerous cells from an original tumour to other parts of the body.

Al though primary tumours can be removed surgically, secondary tumours are more difficult to control, with chemotherapy and radiotherapy often the only options available for patients.

The university’s Professor Philip Rudland said: “It is the spread of cancer from the initial tumour that is the key contributor to death of a cancer patient.

“The next major step is to develop drugs that will switch off the action of these genes.

“If we can do this, we can stop the spread of the primary tumour and therefore improve the chances of survival for patients.”

Prof Rudland, working with Dr Guozheng Wang and Dr Roger Barraclough, said S100P is a metastagene which triggers rapid spread of cancerous secondary tumours to other tissues in the body via the bloodstream.