Summary of A New Treatment for a Rare and Complex Cancer:
Inhibiting the plk1 gene may be a new treatment option for the sickest sarcoma patients, according to a study led by Associate Professor Morten Scheibye-Knudsen. Sarcomas are a rare and complex cancer affecting bones, muscles, and fatty tissue. The research also discovered that identifying high expression of the cep135 protein could determine which patients would receive the most significant benefits. While methods for identifying sarcoma prognoses and different forms of treatment are available, this new study provides a new way of treating the disease. The introduction of another way is always good news for patients, Scheibye-Knudsen says. “Ideally, treatment should always be tailored to the individual patient.” Scheibye-Knudsen hopes that a new treatment may be available to patients within five to 10 years if the method works.
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New Sarcoma Treatment Breakthrough
Sarcomas are a rare form of cancer affecting bones, muscles, and other tissues. However, a recent breakthrough may pave the way for a new treatment to help the sickest sarcoma patients.
Researchers have discovered a method for determining which sarcoma patients will benefit most from a potential new treatment. Methods for identifying sarcoma patients’ prognoses and different forms of treatment are already available, but a new study has identified a new way.
Inhibiting Plk1 gene
A new study led by Associate Professor Morten Scheibye-Knudsen discovered that inhibiting the plk1 gene could help treat the sickest sarcoma patients whose cancer cells have high expression of the cep135 protein. This breakthrough may pave the way for a new, more effective treatment for sarcoma within the next 5-10 years.
Sarcoma affects one percent of cancer patients. In Denmark, around 45 people are diagnosed with bone sarcoma yearly and 220 with soft tissue sarcoma. Adults diagnosed with bone sarcoma have a 60-per cent five-year survival rate, while adults diagnosed with bone sarcoma have a 50-70-per cent five-year survival rate.
Identifying the Prognosis of Sarcoma Patients
“We have learned that sarcoma patients whose cancer cells have a high expression of the cep135 protein are worse off. But inhibiting a gene called plk1 also inhibits the growth of the sarcoma cells, and this suggests that we can target the treatment of the sickest sarcoma patients,” says Associate Professor Morten Scheibye-Knudsen from the Center for Healthy Aging at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, who is responsible for the new study.
The introduction of yet another method is always good news to patients, says Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, because no two cancers are alike. Ideally, treatment should always be tailored to the individual patient.
Accelerated Aging to Identify New Treatment Targets
Moreover, the study indicates that we can use genetic diseases that exhibit accelerated aging to identify new treatment targets. In this study, we investigated cancer, but the method can, in principle, be used for all age-related diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular diseases, and others.
Sarcomas are cancer tumors in various tissues, including bones, muscles, and fatty tissue. There are two main types: bone sarcoma and soft tissue sarcoma. Despite being relatively uncommon, accounting for only 1% of all cancer cases, sarcomas are known for their complexity and challenging nature in treatment.
Finally, the researchers sought to find ways to inhibit the sarcoma. Cep135 is not a valid target, as it is a so-called structural protein, which is difficult to target. Instead, the researchers learned they could target the sarcoma by inhibiting the plk1 gene.
The study indicates we can use genetic diseases exhibiting accelerated aging to identify new treatment targets. In this study, we investigated cancer, but the method can, in principle, be used for all age-related diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular diseases, and others.
Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, who led the research, hopes other researchers with access to the necessary test facilities will study his results in more detail and eventually design a new treatment. If the method works, he believes a new therapy may be available to patients in five to ten years.
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