Recent research emanating from Mays Cancer Center at The University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) is shining a light on potential new avenues for treating metastatic lung cancer.
The team has identified particular protein markers that could indicate the early development of this aggressive form of cancer, opening the door to possible future treatments.
Digging Deep: Understanding the Research
Researchers focused on lung adenocarcinoma, the most prevalent primary lung cancer in the United States, which sometimes proves stubborn against available treatments.
They zeroed in on tumor-associated macrophages – a type of white blood cell that, when it’s not functioning properly, plays a key role in creating complex tumor environments that can support tumor growth, spread (metastasis), and drug resistance.
In simple terms, when it comes to lung cancer, these macrophages have been sneaky – their signaling (or communication that can indicate the early onset of cancer) has been hard to spot until now.
However, Dr. Josephine A. Taverna and her research team found that two proteins, known as AXL and STAT3, send signals that appear in the more advanced stages of lung cancer.
This signalling is set off by lung cancer cells and other cells associated with cancer.
For the science lovers: their work, titled “AXL-initiated paracrine activation of pSTAT3 enhances mesenchymal and vasculogenic supportive features of tumor-associated macrophages,” dives deep into these processes, looking at how these macrophages support tumor environments and impact the progression of the disease.
From the Lab to the People: Moving Towards Clinical Trials
This groundbreaking research is not just for academic accolades – it’s opening real-world pathways to new treatments.
The findings have paved the way for a grant that will lead to a clinical trial set for the following year, aiming to bring relief to patients with advanced lung cancer.
In the trials, researchers aim to recruit patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, particularly those for whom traditional treatments have not proven effective.
The hope is that by understanding the signalling between AXL and STAT3 proteins, new therapeutic strategies in lung cancer can be developed and implemented.
Looking Forward: What Does This Mean for Lung Cancer Treatment?
In practical terms, this research means that the medical community is a step closer to understanding how to potentially halt lung cancer in its tracks.
Through detailed examination of 15 lung tumors from various patients, the researchers found a dominant and consistent signalling in tumor and other cancer-related cells.
Dr. Taverna shared, “Our experiments in the lab suggest that targeting the AXL-STAT3 pathway can prevent tumor cells from recruiting tumor-associated macrophages and other aggressive host cells into the tumor microenvironment, thereby inhibiting tumor growth and spread.”
In a nutshell, this research provides a glimmer of hope in the relentless pursuit to subdue lung cancer.
With a focus on these newly identified markers, the aim is to quantitatively assess metastatic potential (or the likelihood of the cancer spreading) and to inform new therapeutic strategies in lung cancer treatment.
These new findings bring fresh optimism to patients, caregivers, and medical professionals, adding a new weapon to medicine’s arsenal in the battle against lung cancer.
If you care about cancer risk, please read studies that exercise may stop cancer in its tracks, and vitamin D can cut cancer death risk.
For more information about cancer, please see recent studies that yogurt and high-fiber diet may cut lung cancer risk, and results showing that new cancer treatment may reawaken the immune system.
The research findings can be found in Cell Reports.
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