Source: www.netdoctor.co.uk
Author: staff

A protein that is overactive in mouth cancer could provide a new target for the development of drugs against the disease, researchers say.

Scientists at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute have discovered that a protein called FRMD4A is permanently switched on in cancer.

Furthermore, the higher the levels of this protein, the more likely the disease is to spread and come back following treatment.

Tests carried out in mice have revealed that by blocking FRMD4A, it may be possible to prevent mouth cancer from growing and spreading.

Dr Stephen Goldie, whose findings are published in the journal Cancer Research, said: ‘What’s really exciting about this research is that we already have potential drugs that can be used to target this protein or compensate for the effects that it is having.

‘These drugs could offer new options to patients where surgery and chemotherapy hasn’t worked or could be used alongside them.’

The research team now plan to carry out clinical trials involving these drugs to see if they work in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma – a particularly aggressive form of mouth cancer.

There are various types of mouth cancer which affect more than 5,300 people in the UK each year.