An international research team led by MedUni Vienna has made significant progress in understanding the mechanisms behind the spread of prostate cancer, presenting a potential new treatment avenue involving a common diabetes medication.
Their findings were published in the journal Molecular Cancer.
While localized prostate cancer patients generally have a favorable survival outlook, those with metastatic forms face a much grimmer prognosis.
The exact cause behind this metastatic progression remained elusive until now.
Lukas Kenner and his team, using an intricate mouse model, have uncovered key factors governing tumor cell growth.
They identified a protein signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which, when activated by another protein called interleukin 6 (IL6), plays a central role in tumor progression.
The study disclosed that perpetual STAT3 activation can stave off the onset of prostate cancer and prevent metastasis.
On the flip side, if the STAT3-IL6 pathway is disrupted in the prostate, it can lead to significant tumor growth, metastasis, and increased cancer aggression.
Connecting Diabetes and Cancer
Through their research, the team observed that STAT3 activation in the prostate elevates levels of cell components (LKB1/pAMPK) that are associated with glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes.
These proteins obstruct certain cancer molecules (mTOR and CREB), halting tumor growth.
Potential Treatment Option
Capitalizing on this discovery, Kenner’s team incorporated metformin, a prevalent diabetes drug, into their study.
The results demonstrated that metformin could significantly decelerate the progression of STAT3-positive prostate cancer, drawing parallels between its metabolism and that of type 2 diabetes.
Since metformin is already on the market, this revelation may expedite the development of new treatments for patients with STAT3-positive prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer Prevalence
Prostate cancer has consistently been the leading cancer type in Austrian men since 1994.
Although most prostate tumors remain localized and treatable, roughly 20% progress to the incurable metastatic stage. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men globally.
This study underscores the potential of repurposing existing medications for new therapeutic applications.
With metformin’s proven safety profile and widespread availability, the road to clinical trials and potential therapeutic use for prostate cancer patients may be shorter.
However, further research is essential to validate these findings and establish the exact therapeutic protocols.
If you care about prostate cancer, please read studies about egg intake and prostate cancers and new strategies to treat advanced prostate cancer.
For more information about prostate cancer, please see recent studies about new ways to lower the risk of prostate cancer spread, and results showing three-drug combo boosts survival in metastatic prostate cancer.
The study was published in Molecular Cancer.
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