Genes could ‘revolutionise’ prostate cancer treatment

Published on 08/11/2012 01:38

A NEW way of fighting prostate cancer by targeting normal cells inside tumours could lead to a revolution in treatment, it has been claimed.

Scientists switched on key genes inside non-cancerous cells within tumours. In mice, the therapy procedure caused tumours to shrink by 75 per cent.

Like other solid cancers, prostate tumours are a mixture of malignant and normal cells. But recent work suggests “healthy” cells in tumours can play an important role in stimulating cancer growth and spread.

Lead scientist Dr Axel Thomson, from the Queen’s Medical Research Institute in Edinburgh, said: “This extremely exciting development has the potential to form the basis of a revolution in prostate cancer treatments.”