Cancer can be stopped by neutralizing an enzyme

• April 19, 2024

90% of cancer deaths are due to cancerous tumors that migrate to other parts of the body. If in some way it is possible to stop this spread, the death rates caused by this disease would be reduced, according to a study published in Cancer Reseach .

Scientists from the Cancer Research Institute, led by the doctor Janine Erler , have demonstrated the existence of an enzyme that can be blocked and thus avoid metastasis. The enzyme in question is the so-called LOX2L, which opens a new possibility in the development of drugs that can transcend research and be used clinically for the early treatment of cancer patients.

When scientists analyzed patients with breast cancer they observed that high levels of the enzyme LOXL2 they were linked to the spread of cancer and at very low survival rates.

This same study showed that in the early stages the LOX2L It acquires its greater importance in the process of metastasis, since it helps the cancer cells to escape from the breast tissue and to enter the bloodstream.

In their studies with mice, scientists used chemicals and antibodies to block the activity of LOXL2, which prevented the spread of breast cancer to other tissues.

Dr. Erle says that the finding is not only important for the development of drugs but also to develop a test that can predict the likelihood of cancer spreading and, as a result, improve patient survival.

Source: BBC World

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