Thursday, July 7, 2022
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Biology

Chatter between cell populations drives progression of gastrointestinal tumors

February 18, 2021
in Biology
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Study results could lead to more effective treatment options for GIST patients, which are currently limited

IMAGE

Credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are a subytpe of cancers known as sarcomas. GIST is the most common type of sarcoma with approximately 5,000 to 6,000 new patient cases annually in the United States. GIST cannot be cured by drugs alone, and targeted therapies are only modestly effective, with a high rate of drug resistance. In a recent study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center identified new therapeutic targets that could lead to new treatment options for patients.

The study, published in the February 18, 2021 online edition of Oncogene, found that specific cell-to-cell communication influences GIST biology and is strongly associated with cancer progression and metastasis.

The researchers discovered that certain GIST cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a cell population within GIST tumors, can communicate with GIST cells. This crosstalk between CAFs and GIST cells results in more aggressive tumor biology.

“By examining the tumor microenvironment of GIST, we were able to look at a previously unrecognized cellular target for GIST therapy that could result in improved disease control and cure rates. It’s a paradigm shift for the field,” said senior author Jason Sicklick, MD, professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine and surgical oncologist at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.

The study involved animal models of GIST metastasis and bioinformatic analyses from 75 GIST patients.

Currently, single drug therapies are used in the management of GIST. These therapies target the KIT and PDGFRA gene mutations — signal receivers on GIST cells that drive cancer growth.

“However, when CAFs are present, they produce platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFC), a signal that can activate PDGFRA and overcome drug inhibition,” said first author Hyunho Yoon, PhD, a research associate with UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Approximately half of patients with metastatic GIST will develop drug resistance within 20 months of starting first-line therapy. Once the first line of treatment for GIST loses effectiveness, response rates to subsequent therapies also dramatically decline. Thus, said the authors, combination therapies against multiple cellular targets, such as CAFs, could be more effective, especially before the disease has metastasized.

GISTs develop from nerve cells in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and can occur anywhere from the esophagus to the rectum. These tumors most commonly occur without telltale symptoms, such as feeling full sooner than normal after eating or abdominal pain. Occasionally, symptoms include gastrointestinal bleeding or signs of intestinal obstruction. GIST cases most often develop and are diagnosed in persons age 50 and older.

The researchers said next steps include investigating synergistic drug combinations for CAF-targeted therapies.

“We have to start thinking outside of the box. We’ve been using bigger and bigger hammers to hit the same target and not seeing different results,” said Sicklick. “We need to start hitting a different target. Our study results could be the first insights into a new approach.”

###

Co-authors include: Chih-Min Tang, Sudeep Banerjee, Mayra Yebra, Sangkyu Noh, Adam Burgoynz, Jorge De la Torre, Antonia Delgado, Andrew Lowy, Randall French, Olivier Harismendy, Zhiyong Wang, Alfredo Molinolo, J. Silvio Gutkind, and Mojgan Hosseini, all with UC San Diego; Martina De Siena, UC San Diego and University Hospital; Yoon Young Choi, UC San Diego and Yonsei University College and Medicine; Mengyuan Liu and Ronald DeMatteo, University of Pennsylvania; Lillian R. Klug and Michael Heinrich, Oregon Health and Science University.

Disclosure: Sicklick receives research funds from Foundation Medicine Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals, as well as consultant fees from Deciphera, Loxo, Biotheranostics, and Grand Rounds.

Media Contact
Michelle Brubaker
[email protected]

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-01685-w

Tags: cancerCell BiologyGastroenterologyMedicine/Health
Share25Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • PAN protein domain

    Scientists discover cancer trigger that could spur targeted drug therapies

    80 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • COVID-19 fattens up our body’s cells to fuel its viral takeover

    103 shares
    Share 41 Tweet 26
  • Killing resistant prostate cancer with iron

    67 shares
    Share 27 Tweet 17
  • Messenger RNA technology shows promise for developing infectious disease therapeutics

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • ‘Supergene’ wreaks havoc in a genome

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • How bilingual brains work: Cross-language interplay and an integrated lexicon

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

COVID-19 fattens up our body’s cells to fuel its viral takeover

Scientists discover cancer trigger that could spur targeted drug therapies

Immune molecules from a llama could provide protection against a vast array of SARS-like viruses including COVID-19, researchers say

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 190 other subscribers

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....