SOX17 and the Concealment of Cancer Cells from the Immune System

In a recent breakthrough in cancer research at MIT, scientists have linked the SOX17 gene with a response that reduces the presence of, or masks, the cancer cells. This masking protects the cells from being targeted by the immune system, which allows the cancer to spread uninhibited through the colon. The risk of developing colon cancer is 1 in 23 for men, and 1 in 25 for women. In 2024 alone, 106,590 new cases of colon cancer have been reported, with this number being a gradual decline compared to the past years thanks to screenings, and preventative lifestyle changes. With this breakthrough, this reduction in colon cancer prevalence could skyrocket. But how did researchers manipulate the SOX17 gene to deem it a viable treatment for early stage colon cancer? After implanting colon tumor organoids with no SOX17 gene into mice, scientists observed that the immune system was able to fight the cancer cells, essentially completely getting rid of their ability to survive. Scientists also observed the gene expression in patients who had colon cancer, where they found that the highest moment of gene expression with regards to SOX17 was in the earliest stages. While there is still research to be done, it goes without saying that this breakthrough will lead to more effective treatments for colon cancer in the future.

In my opinion, this is incredible news. The more and more research that comes out pertaining to how genetic discoveries can be manipulated to create treatments for diseases and chronic conditions like in this case, the more hope I have that this research will allow a lot more people to enjoy their lives without interruption. I hope to see similar findings in the future pertaining to fighting and preventing other forms of cancer.

Main Article Link: https://news.mit.edu/2024/how-early-stage-cancer-cells-hide-immune-system-0228 

Statistics On Colon Cancer: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

Chemicals Found in Vegetables Prevent Colon Cancer in Mice

Image Source

A research team from the Francis Crick Institute discovered that mice that were fed a diet that had a high amount of indole-3-carbinol were protected from inflammation and cancer in the colon. Indole-3-carbinol is a compound that is produced when we digest vegetables that belong to the Brassica genus, which includes broccoli, cabbage, and kale. The study examined how indole-3-carbinol can prevent colon cancer and inflammation through the activation of a protein that is known as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). AhR is an environmental sensor that protects the lining of the lower digestive tract to protect the body from the bacteria that inhabit it.

The research teams studied genetically modified mice that could not produce or activate AhR, which quickly led to colon cancer. Dr. Amina Metidji discovered that when the mice were fed a diet that included high amounts of I3C, they did not develop inflammation or cancer. When the mice that had cancer were fed the I3C diet, they developed less tumors. The tumors that developed, however, were mostly benign instead of malignant.

The researchers also discovered that AhR also repairs damaged epithelial cells by studying ‘mini guts’ made from stem cells. Epithelial cells form the lining of the organs and serve a vital role in sensing, secretion, and absorption. They discovered that the intestinal stem cells divided rapidly instead of developing into epithelial cells when AhR was absent. However, they also found that chemicals that promote AhR corrected defects and restored epithelial cell differentiation.

The I3C diet also had an effect on normal mice, since the normal mice that were fed the I3C diet or standard food did not develop tumors during the study. However, normal mice that were fed a control diet developed tumors. The purified control diet consisted of exact mixtures of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and fiber that were enriched with vitamins and minerals. The control diet, however, had less AhR-promoting chemicals than the I3C diet. According to Dr. Chris Schiering, this section of the study suggested that a low-vegetable diet can lead to colon cancer, even without genetic risk factors.


I thought that this discovery was important because it showed that vegetables are a crucial part of a healthy diet and that they play an important role in reducing a person's risk of getting cancer. The discovery also showed that even with genetic risk factors, a diet rich with I3C can reduce the severity of certain colon cancer symptoms and possibly prevent colon cancer from developing in people who are at risk. This discovery makes me wonder if that diet could be effective for people who are prone to inflammation in their intestines due to inflammatory bowel diseases. For example, Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that can increase a person's chances of getting colon cancer. This makes me wonder if the Brassica genus could help people who have these conditions, reduce their risk of cancer, and alleviate certain symptoms.

References

Amina Metidji, Sara Omenetti, Stefania Crotta, Ying Li, Emma Nye, Ellie Ross, Vivian Li, Muralidhara R. Maradana, Chris Schiering, Brigitta Stockinger. The Environmental Sensor AHR Protects from Inflammatory Damage by Maintaining Intestinal Stem Cell Homeostasis and Barrier Integrity. Immunity, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2018.07.010

Intake of Red Meat May Cause Colon Cancer

        A new study involving 1.5 million people all-causes of mortality increases with daily intake of red or processed meats. The study confirms the knowledge of physicians that diet can either heal or harm the body. The data found the steepest rise in mortality at the smallest increases of intake of red meat. They also found a 3.6 year increase in life expectancy for people with a vegetarian diet for more than 17 years.

          The intake of red and processed meat has also been linked to an increased rate of colon cancer. Most studies show that the fat consumed from the red meat is what increases the risk of colon cancer. Large amounts of red meat cause colonic cytotoxicity and epithelial proliferation. This also causes cells within the colon to mutate and creates cancerous polyps.  

        In my opinion these study provide very useful information for the public. The data shows how beneficial cutting reducing or cutting red meat out of your diet can be.Hopefully physicians can spread the word to patients about how important nutrition is and how it can improve your health.

   

Coffee and Cancer

A large study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute suggests that "regular consumption of caffeinated coffee may help prevent the return of colon cancer after treatment and improve the chances of a cure." (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)  Studies suggest that 2-3 cups of coffee is the recommended amount.  One cup a day has shown little to no effect on patients.

Further research needs to be conducted in order to solidify the results but caffeinated coffee has also shown lowered risk in certain cancers and type 2 diabetes. The other components in coffee have no effect on the results; it is strictly the caffeine that shows improvement. "One hypothesis is that caffeine consumption increases the body's sensitivity to insulin so less of it is needed, which in turn may help reduce inflammation -- a risk factor for diabetes and cancer, Fuchs said." (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)

I found this article to be incredibly interesting.  I'm curious to see if the results will continue to have positive effects on patients and if consuming caffeine before diagnosis will limit the possibility and percentages of colon cancer patients, or any cancer or disease, in the future.

To see the full article click here! It's worth the read!

Genetic Testing Can Give Warning of Cancer Development

     In 2012, Rick Sample received a diagnosis of Colon Cancer. He was the fifth person in his family to be diagnosed withe the disease. Since this ran in his family, he became a prime candidate for genetic testing for an inherited factor known as Lynch Syndrome. Lynch Syndrome raises the risk of developing into colon cancer to 80% and 60% for women to develop uterine cancer. The test involves examining a tissue sample from blood or spit. Both Rick and his brother tested positive for the syndrome. Genetic testing is only recommended for those with three or more individuals diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome in their family, two or more generations affected, or one person who is diagnosed before the age of 50. Genes that could develop into cancer via mutation include MLH, PMS2, and EPCAM. Most Lynch cancers are adult-onset, and thus testing on children is not common. But effective screening tests can be started, at around the mid-twenties. If someone is known to have Lynch Syndrome, treatment includes colonoscopies. The goal is to begin screening methods about ten years before the age a family member was diagnosed.
     This research is very important in the fight against cancer. It is interesting to see how other diseases can have such a high possibility of developing into cancer. Although it isn't completely possible to detect cancer early, it is still very good that a disease that could very possibly lead to it can be detected. Lynch syndrome affects 1 in every 400 peoples. Early detection and action could also save someone in committing more drastic things, such as complete removal of the colon for Rick.

Link1: http://www.dailypress.com/health/dp-nws-genetics-colon-20150412-story.html#page=1

Link2: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/genetic-testing-options-can-show-if-youre-atrisk-for-cancer/32298834

Certain Painkillers May Lower Colon Cancer Risks

     Dr. Andrew Chan, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Li Hsu, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, looked at studies involving patients and the use of painkillers. The risk of colon cancer was seen to be much lower for those taking aspirin and or other NSAIDs, than those who weren't regular users of any drug. 

     This study also revealed a possible connection to our genes that may play a big role. In nine percent of the patients the drugs showed to have no benefit and was connected with variations in the gene rs16973225. Also in patients with gene rs2965667, their chances of colon cancer was higher. With this information, researchers could possibly perform genetic tests and determine who could benefit most from using aspirin/NSAIDs. 
     This article is groundbreaking because in the future people can know how likely they will get colon cancer and if a simple aspirin a day could reduce this risk. This could possibly lead to new discoveries involving other types of cancers and risk preventions. 

NSAIDs Active in Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

     A recent study at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has shown that non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, protect against the development of colorectal cancer. Although this has long been suggested, these scientists have finally discovered why. The NSAIDs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, work by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells that carry a certain mutated and dysfunctional gene.

     The team researching this used animal models and examined tumor samples from patients who had and hadn't taken NSAIDs. Their results showed that the NSAIDs do in fact activate a cell-death pathway. Healthy cells lack the mutation, so the NSAIDs cause no harm to them. Their conclusion is that NSAIDs initiate the early destruction of cells that could be precancerous.
    The scientists plan to use their discovery to design new drugs that are more effective in cancer prevention for those high at risk of colon cancer. They say ideally they could harness the tumor-killing traits of NSAIDs and avoid the side effects such as ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding.
    I found this article to be interesting because colon cancer is so prevalent and dangerous. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the country, and I personally know people who have been affected by it. NSAIDs seem like such a common drug, but clearly their effects are more complex than most people would think. The idea of using them to prevent cancer in this manner seems promising.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141103161950.htm

Genetic Key for Colon Cancer Found between Fruit Flies & Humans

Fruit flies do not have an individual colon, instead an intestine that contains a colon and rectum that similarly mimics the function of a human colon. Researchers at the Institute for Research in BioMedicine - Barcelona, have recently developed fruit flies with mutated APC and Ras genes. APC and Ras genes are two particular genes that are altered in tumors for human colon cancer. Since fruit flies have a short reproductive cycle, they're great for genetic research. The scientists were able to examine 250 genes that were altered with APC and Ras type tumors. Only 30% of the genes actually determined the rate of tumor growth. Of all the genes involved, the group of researchers focused on a gene called Mirror in a Drosophila, Irx in humans. Through their study, they were able to determine that the gene was a huge factor for tumor growth in the early stages of the cancer. This was very promising news because the study of human cancer - especially in the early stages is difficult.

Tumor (Green) surrounded by Muscle Fibers (Red) of the Drosophila Studied

The findings in this study is certainly a breakthrough. "We have generated cancer in an adult organism and from stem cells, thus reproducing what happens in most types of human cancers," explained Andreu Casali - Associate Researcher at the institute.  Now scientists are able to look at a new perspective for human colon cancer. As research continues they'll be able to target certain genes like Irx in humans in the early stages of cancer to hopefully stop the spread of tumors. Irx will certainly be focus point for drug treatment in colon cancer. Fruit flies can't be used for potential drug treatments of colon cancer. However, fruit flies will help scientists to develop the target points when they conduct mice testing.The fruit flies give scientists a new way to analyze the minor interactions in cancerous cells, a area of study that was extremely difficult with mice and current technology. This also allows scientists to manipulate fruit flies at a much faster and cost-effective way than testing with lab mice. Hopefully, as research continues, soon they'll be a way to beat colon cancer, and many of the other cancers that continue to plague our society. 

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141008101400.htm

Article Related: Arc and Ras Genes in Colon Cancer - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15943410

A genetic reason to eat less (or no) meat

Research has recently found that one in three people (30% of the population) possess a gene variant that increases their risk of colon/rectal cancer with the consumption of meat (especially red meats and processed). There is already an increased risk of these cancer in people who eat red and processed meats but this gene variation increases this risk even more. The study identified the variant as rs4143094 which is on the same region of chromosome 10 as a factor gene known as GATA3, which has a transcription that has already been linked to several types of cancer.
Luckily a plant-based diet can drastically lower this risk for both those with and without the gene variant. In addition to preventing a variety of cancers a plant based diet can improve a persons overall health and help prevent a multitude of diseases and conditions.








http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131024102150.htm