North scientists in life-saving discovery

Aug 20 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

SCIENTISTS in the region have made a breakthrough in stem cell research which could improve the survival chances of patients suffering from an aggressive form of bowel cancer.

The breakthrough by researchers from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute could help doctors decide how best to treat thousands of potentially fatal cases of bowel cancer each year.

The research is the latest ground-breaking medical discovery to come from the North East, and scientists are now saying the region is increasingly being recognised as a world leader.

Researchers found that those likely to develop a more virulent strain of the disease could be pinpointed by a test which looks for a marker protein called Lamin A.

Scientists say the protein is more likely to be found in aggressive tumours, and if detected will allow doctors to advise whether or not a patient should undergo a gruelling course of chemotherapy

Because bowel cancer occurs more often in people over 65, doctors are often reluctant to automatically use chemotherapy in their treatment as it could cause more harm than benefit.

But the scientists argue that those with Lamin A in their tissue should be given additional chemotherapy treatment to improve their chances of recovery.

A study of 700 patients found that around a third of those tested had the Lamin A protein in their tissue samples, which indicated a more serious form of the disease.

Dr Naomi Willis from Durham University said the findings offered the chance of more acutely predicting how a disease would affect patients.

“This is a first step in the long history of improving the ability of doctors to fight the disease.

“We found that a particular marker, Lamin A, is in stem cells of the bowel, in an normal healthy bowel. It is also in the tumour tissue of some patients and these same patients have the more aggressive tumour and a worse prognosis

“They are twice as likely to die of the disease if they have this. We are saying if you have this protein in the tumour it is likely to be much more aggressive, possibly because it has stem cell-like properties.”

Dr Willis said the test would help doctors decide which elderly people should be put through chemotherapy, a treatment which can often leave the patient’s health at risk.

The researchers, who worked with colleagues from the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, and the Departments of Pathology and Epidemiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, now hope to develop a test for general use.

Their work is the latest in a long line of North university success stories, with recent weeks seeing hope for rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis sufferers.

Dr Peter Arnold, chief executive at Newcastle Science City, said the region was rapidly outgrowing its traditional heavy-industry image and is increasingly recognised as a leading authority in medical sciences.

He said: “There is a growing awareness of us as a force in the scientific community.

“If we look at the stem cell work then we can see that five years ago we had some pockets of that expertise but now that has developed into a world-class community.

“I think we are seeing balancing of the visibility that we deserve. In previous years we have not been as visible as we should have been but we are improving in how we show what we are doing and over the last five years we have seen increased recognition as a result.

“Part of our success comes from having a much more competitive scientific community. What we need now is even better partnerships across the different faculties, and when that happens we will see more funding available.”

Third most common killer

BOWEL cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and in its early stages patients are normally treated with surgery.

More than 36,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year and its development is linked with diet, lifestyle and environmental factors.

Bowel cancer will affect one in 18 of the population and claims 50 lives every day in the UK.

Almost three-quarters of cases occur in people aged 65 and over.

But many experts believe that if caught early enough it is very easy to treat. If the cancer is caught early, before it has spread to other sites such as the liver, the chances of a cure are as high as 80%.