Researchers discover new treatments to prevent growth of two cancers
Scientists make bowel and liver cancer treatment breakthrough
- Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow have identified new potential treatments to suppress the growth of bowel and liver cancers.
- The study focused on genetic errors that hijack the WNT pathway, a signalling system that controls cell growth, leading to tumour development.
- They discovered that a protein called nucleophosmin (NPM1) is found at high levels in bowel and some liver cancers due to these genetic faults.
- Blocking NPM1, which is not essential for healthy adult tissue, could offer a safe and effective way to treat specific hard-to-treat bowel and liver cancers.
- This breakthrough, part of the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative, aims to develop more personalised treatments, with future research focusing on drugs to block NPM1 production.