Scientists ID Gene Behind Cancer's Spread

Topics: Cancer

(Credit: CBS)

(CBS/AP) Scientists in England say they have identified the gene that is responsible for cancer's spread through the body - raising the possibility of a "one-size-fits-all" cure for the disease by developing a drug that switches off the gene.

Most deaths from cancer result from its gradual metastasis, or spreading, from the original cancer site to other tissues and organs. Halting that spread wouldn't eliminate a patient's primary cancer, but it would allow it to be treated with conventional therapies and surgery, "with no risk of the disease taking hold elsewhere," according to researchers.

The research was conducted at the University of East Anglia and published Tuesday in the journal Oncogene.

"The culprit gene - known as WWP2 - is an enzymic bonding agent found inside cancer cells. It attacks and breaks down a natural inhibitor in the body which normally prevents cancer cells spreading," the university said in a release detailing the findings. "The UEA team found that by blocking WWP2, levels of the natural inhibitor are boosted and the cancer cells remain dormant."

"The challenge now is to identify a potent drug that will get inside cancer cells and destroy the activity of the rogue gene," said lead author Andrew Chantry. "This is a difficult but not impossible task, made easier by the deeper understanding of the biological processes revealed in this study."

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by david4673 January 25, 2011 6:26 PM EST: This is excellent news.

It is indicative of another kind of "cancer" -- that so many posts here are negative and fraught with "socio-economic complaint syndrome".

That cancer is the most insidious, it is the cancer of the spirit that chokes hope and destroys the beauty of life itself. I rebuke every one of you!

I applaud these scientists and hope their work comes to fruition for the good of humanity. Thank you people here that have expressed hope. We stand together.; Reply to this comment


by Reality-Checker January 25, 2011 4:24 PM EST: How little that many understand the significance of this discovery. The chromosomes genetic signature expresses relationship that exist and govern a multitude of processes in the tissue of every life form. Since cancer is a series of processes that are both enabled and disabled in a specific sequence, depending on the type of cancer, plus the fact that breaking the sequence stops cancer, we are learning newer and better ways to stop the cancer triggering sequence earlier. No one can say at this time whether it is possible to break the sequence early enough with either a one time treatment, or a continuous treatment of one type. Said another way, it is not known if a patient will be treated daily, such as high cholesterol patients, or once, as in the case of a patient with a treatable infection.

What has been proven is that a testable, and detectable signature exists in the way a certain type of relationship exists at chromosomal level with cancer.

A nobel peace prize winner in the 1980's won the prize for proving the myth that chromosomes did not change over a person's lifetime. Once this discovery was made, an enormous blind spot was removed which fueled great interest in decoding the human genome, a.k.a. human chromosome.

Chromosome mutation engineering has already been successful with plants. Certain engineered species of corn have acquired domination over native species and in some cases made the native species extinct through natural pollenation that followed the migration patterns of bees in North America.; Reply to this comment

by Derekab11 January 25, 2011 3:34 PM EST

Leaving aside any comments about Pharmaceutical companies, profits, investors, etcetera; anything which truly offers genuine curtailment, containment, reduction, or safe destruction of cancer should rightly be welcomed by any sane person.

My father died of prostate cancer. An agonising death, which pain was only alleviated by morphine.

My elder sister died of cervical cancer. Similarly her death was also painful and that pain was also only alleviated by morphine.

Only recently, after having cared for her 24/7 for 6.5 months, my mother passed away due to cancerous growths around her liver. An enormous blessing for her was that she was one of a rare few per cent of people who experienced no pain from her cancer; throughout her terminal illness. Nevertheless they do not call cancer the wasting disease for nothing, and my Mother did suffer from that effect.

Dying from cancer is a terrible death for all terminally ill sufferers and the people who dedicate themselves to fighting it, alleviating it, and even to trying to destroy it, are doing something which is one of the worthiest things anyone can do in their life.

So why not cut them some slack and stop insulting them and their own motives for doing so. ultimately a pharmaceutical company has to survive and flourish, and yes that means profiting too, but without such there would not be the progress which has occurred already and which continues to occur.

Just hope that their efforts are successful and if it comes to your having cancer sometime, that they are on hand with whatever is needed, and that you can have it too.

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by samael2014 January 25, 2011 4:19 PM EST: The research was conducted at the University of East Anglia and published Tuesday in the journal Oncogene.

The progress that has occurred already, has occurred at a public institution of higher learning. A public research university.

Maybe you should cut non-profit entities in the public sector some slack, and acknowledge that profit and greed isn't a necessary vice to achieve progress.

Not at all.


by Janfebmarapr January 25, 2011 3:21 PM EST: So this discovery came from a "socialist" European country and not the "finest (and most expensive) health care in the world" USA?
Most big leaps in medical treatment and diagnosis do not come from the US, but come from "the socialists" in Europe and make it to "the finest health care in the world" about ten to fifteen years later.; Reply to this comment


by Janfebmarapr January 25, 2011 3:14 PM EST: Yep heard it before many times.
Like others posted, I will believe it when I see it, which is probably never.
Now some new company will pop up, sell stock for a huge amount, claim a cure, it will be found bogus, the stock will drop to nothing, and the top people will walk away with hundreds of millions.
Happens every time.; Reply to this comment


by imthaid January 25, 2011 2:38 PM EST: Those scientists will soon be found dead under mysterious circumstances and their deaths will be labeled suicides.; Reply to this comment

by nomorelibs January 25, 2011 2:09 PM EST

I thought I would read these posts and see many people very excited about the findings. I'm no scientist or Dr, but I am sadened to see so many negative posts. I would imagine most researchers and scientists really care about what they spend their life doing. To see some ridiculing and attacking them surprised me. One moron even called them "dumb". How sad!

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by th9876 January 25, 2011 2:55 PM EST: If researchers have made this gene discovery and can find a treatment for it, I would be extremely excited. On the other hand, the treatment would probably be extremely expensive in the U.S. and I'd have to wait and see if insurance companies cover the cost. That is the devil behind the curtain.


by askagain January 25, 2011 6:02 PM EST: th9876 - Are you suggesting that you would receive the treatment only if insutrance pays for it? What about selling the house, the cars, and your worldly posessions to be cured? If my insurance didn't pay for the treatment, I would clean out my savings, cash in my investments, sell my home and cars and once my money is gone, let medicaid pay for the rest of the treatment.


by westerly1 January 25, 2011 12:53 PM EST: We have studied cancer for my life time & some research is paying off. We certainly have better means of destroying cancer cells before they spread thru chemo & radiation. We know what diets & environmental protections can help to prevent cancer. We are at the beginning of gene therapies for many diseases. Let's hope that we can conquer cancer; it is a horrific way to die.; Reply to this comment

by jmailbox January 25, 2011 11:41 AM EST

I can totally agree. It would be nice if the dumb researchers could help us find more environmental causes that lead up to cancer and help to cut our risks down before we even have cancer.

I don't believe that it would be magic 1 bullet does all. It's quite possible that people with deformed versions of this gene are the ones more prone to cancer. If that's the case, how would you stop the entire body from having this bad gene? Easy, give in to big pharma and take medicine for the rest of your life.

Big Pharma is not interested in creating cures, just creating treatments for big profits.

Hopefully one day this world will get past the whole monterary system so we can start helping each other instead of withholding because of money.

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by rf35 January 25, 2011 1:59 PM EST: Hobotron, jmailbox is right that the drug companies don't want to cure anything. A lifelong treatment generates a continuous profit stream while a cure is a one-off deal. Which makes more economic sense? It doesn't take an "aluminum foil cap" to figure out the answer.

by porcine_aviator January 25, 2011 10:36 AM EST

You will forgive me if I say we've all heard this same story before.

The idea that the control of a single gene would prevent metastasis is, in my humble opinion, pretty darned naive. I hope they're proven to be correct, but I wouldn't hold my breath...cancer has turned out to be a far tricker, far more complex disease than once believed.

Just as with HIV, I think we'll siin find that the only way to really get control of cancer is through a "cocktail" approach, attacking multiple, independent cell signaling, metabolic, or regualtory pathways. This search for a single "magic bullet" will lead to the same problems with resistance that we find with antibiotics. The reason researchers want the single magic bullet is that it makes the most money for a drug company, at least according to the very archaic business models Pharma continues to use.

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by rf35 January 25, 2011 1:56 PM EST: While I also doubt that a single gene can halt the spread of all types of cancer, I don't think that resistance would be an issue if such a drug turned out to be effective. Individual genes do not reproduce like bacteria. If the gene did mutate to a point where the drug would no longer affect it, it would probably also become unable to break down the body's natural cancer inhibitors.


by Past80 January 25, 2011 3:24 PM EST: rf35 and hobo we would all like to know what degrees you both have and which research Lab you work for or are you just two loud mouth know it alls. From what I have read in my 80 years on this planet one gene can have a profound effect.