by Ilan Gattegno, Maytal Yasur Beit-Or and Israel Hayom Staff
"We have discovered how the cancer spreads to distant organs and found ways to stop the process before the metastatic stage," says Tel Aviv University researcher Dr. Carmit Levy • Researchers identify two substances that may become anti-melanoma drugs.
Tel Aviv University researchers have made a
breakthrough finding in understanding how melanoma, the most aggressive
and lethal type of skin cancer, spreads through the body and how it can
be stopped.
Melanoma causes the death of one person every
52 minutes, according to data from the Skin Cancer Foundation, with the
number of diagnosed cases of the disease on the rise for the last 30
years.
Scientists have developed a number of
treatments for melanoma over the years, but a true cure has not yet been
discovered. The new Tel Aviv University study proposes effective
methods for diagnosing and preventing this form of cancer.
The research team found that the metastatic
mechanism of melanoma allows the disease to travel inward from the outer
layer of the skin, or the epidermis, where it begins. After forming,
the melanoma sends out tiny vesicles containing genetic material in the
form of microRNA molecules deeper into the skin, into the dermis layer,
from where the cancer cells can then be transported through the body.
When melanoma is present only in the
epidermis, it does not have access to blood vessels, which are needed to
carry the cancerous cells through the body. However, the dermis has
many blood vessels, which is why preventing the spread there is crucial,
the researchers determined.
The team of researchers identified two
substances that can fight the cancer's spread: one that blocks the
vesicles from entering the dermis and one that prevents the changes made
by the genetic material to the dermis after entry in preparation for
the transport of diseased cells.
The substances used by the researchers to block these processes are candidates for future drugs to fight melanoma.
"The threat of melanoma is not in the initial
tumor that appears on the skin, but rather in its metastasis -- in the
tumor cells sent off to colonize in vital organs like the brain, lungs,
liver and bones," said head researcher Dr. Carmit Levy, of the Human
Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry Department at Tel Aviv University's
medical school.
"We have discovered how the cancer spreads to
distant organs and found ways to stop the process before the metastatic
stage," she said.
"We looked at samples of early melanoma,
before the invasive stage. To our surprise, we found changes in the
morphology of the dermis -- the inner layer of the skin -- that had
never before been reported. Our next task was to find out what these
changes were, and how they related to melanoma.
"We found that even before the cancer itself
invades the dermis, it sends out tiny vesicles containing molecules of
microRNA. These induce the morphological changes in the dermis in
preparation for receiving and transporting the cancer cells. It then
became clear to us that by blocking the vesicles, we might be able to
stop the disease altogether."
In addition to the two substances identified
by researchers as potential drugs to fight melanoma, the newfound
understanding of how the disease spreads may help in early diagnosis of
the lethal cancer.
The groundbreaking research was published in the Nature Cell Biology journal on Monday.
"Our study is an important step on the road to
a full remedy for the deadliest skin cancer," Levy said. "We hope that
our findings will help turn melanoma into a nonthreatening, easily
curable disease."
The Tel Aviv University researchers worked in
close cooperation with Professor Jorg D. Hoheisel and Laureen Sander of
the German Cancer Research Center, Dr. Shoshi Greenberger of Sheba
Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, and Dr. Ronen Brenner at Wolfson Medical
Center. The lab research was led by Dr. Shani Dror, who belongs to
Levy's research group.
Health Ministry official Dr. Hagai Kedem, who
was diagnosed with melanoma about 10 years ago, and, following
treatment, had it reappear in 2013, expressed excitement about the new
findings.
"I can only express my hope that this breakthrough idea will become a functional drug as quickly as possible," Kedem said.
"The idea on which the research is based
sounds amazing. The million-dollar question is: How long will it take to
go from research findings to a functional drug? And that is something
that could take years. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be relevant
for me.
"The breakthroughs in melanoma [research] in
recent years are being made at an amazing pace. In May 2014, the doctor
who treats me, Professor Michal Lotem of Hadassah Medical Center,
thought I would only have a month to live -- and it's been two years
since then."
Kedem cautioned that despite the advances in research, there is no "miracle drug."
"None of the new drugs I received -- both those included
in the state's health care basket [of subsidized medications] and those
that were not -- worked," he said. "The only thing that worked was the
chemotherapy that was included in the basket."
Ilan Gattegno, Maytal Yasur Beit-Or and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=35867
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Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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