Melanoma and Alzheimer's disease
Evidence has been found that genetics contributes to tumor metastasis
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
Scientists have found a variant of a gene that can worsen the prognosis of cancer. Their experiment shows for the first time that the spread of metastases really depends on human genetics. The study explains why the disease develops so differently in people.
Researchers have long assumed that genetic mutations of tumor cells contribute to the process of metastasis in the body. A team of scientists from the USA shows for the first time that the APOE gene is able to influence the spread of cancer. A person can have one of three gene variants – ApoE2, ApoE3, ApoE4 – and these differences explain the causes of the disease progression.
Article by Ostendorf et al. Common germline variants of the human APOE gene modulate melanoma progression and survival is published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Experiments on mouse models have shown that the presence of ApoE4 contributed to the least growth and metastasis of the tumor in rodents, compared with other variants of the gene.
It turned out that ApoE4 can enhance the body's immune response to tumor cells.
Mice with ApoE4 were found to have the largest number of cancer-fighting T cells, as well as the smallest number of blood vessels in the tumor.
When scientists analyzed the genetic data of more than 300 patients with melanoma, the results echoed the conclusions already obtained. People with ApoE4 lived longer than patients with the ApoE2 variant.
"These results will allow doctors to evaluate the genetics of cancer patients in order to predict the likely course of the disease and choose the most effective treatment methods," the scientists believe. For example, patients with ApoE4 will respond best to immunotherapy, observations have shown.
Perhaps these conclusions are true not only for melanoma, but also for other types of cancer. "Inherited changes in one gene can have the same effect on other tumors," they said.
At the moment, an experimental treatment has already been developed that increases the production of ApoE. The RGX-104 compound enhanced the immune response in mice with ApoE4. Now it is being tested as part of clinical trials.
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