RandyW Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Mechanism May Explain Quick Metastases of Lung Cancer Researchers show hyperactive WNT/TCF cell-signaling pathway stimulates cancer spread Jul 6, 2009 MONDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with lung cancer, the WNT/TCF cell-signaling pathway appears to play a major role in the spread of the disease to the brain and bone, according to a study published online July 2 in Cell. Don X. Nguyen, Ph.D., of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and colleagues used bioinformatics to analyze collections of lung tumor samples, tested six cell-signaling pathways, and found that only the WNT/TCF cell-signaling pathway was hyperactive in lung tumors that metastasized. In subsequent experiments in mice, the researchers found that a hyperactive WNT/TCF pathway activated tumor-promoting mutations in the genes KRAS and EGFR, as well as two genes -- HOXB9 and LEF1 -- associated with lung cancer metastasis. "While not without limitations, our experimental systems recapitulate important phenotypic and molecular features of lung adenocarcinoma, including brain and bone metastasis, and a hyperactive WNT/TCF pathway in the background of relevant oncogenic mutations," the authors conclude. "This model may be useful for achieving a deeper understanding of early metastatic events and the development of improved treatments for lung adenocarcinoma patients at risk for metastasis." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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