Oncogenic microbes?

A new probable cause of prostate cancer — bacteria - has been found

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

The discovery of British scientists can be a real breakthrough in the treatment of one of the most common oncological diseases. The researchers found five types of bacteria, including previously unknown ones. It is very likely that they provoke the development of cancer and rapid and aggressive tumor growth, but so far scientists do not claim this, according to a press release University of East Anglia. It is possible that in the future, targeted antibiotics may be developed for the treatment of cancer.

Article by Hurst et al. Microbiomes of Urine and the Prostate are Linked to Human Prostate Cancer Risk Groups published in the journal European Urology Oncology – VM.

Three out of five bacteria have not yet been known to science. They were discovered thanks to a study of 600 men with prostate cancer. Scientists analyzed samples of urine and prostate tissue and found one or more of these bacteria in them. The probability of dying from cancer in these volunteers was 2.6 times higher.

Currently, there is no reliable way to identify aggressive prostate cancer at an early stage in order to choose the most effective treatment and prevent the rapid progression of the disease to an incurable stage. New biomarkers can become this long-awaited tool.

Now scientists need to prove that bacteria are the cause of tumor development. To do this, you need to make sure that in healthy men they are not present in the prostate tissue. If this is the case, then an antibacterial drug targeting bacteria can be developed for cancer therapy. In addition, it is very likely that new biomarkers may be signs of a precancerous condition, so combating them, potentially, can also provide cancer prevention.

Earlier, scientists presented an experimental therapy against castration-resistant prostate cancer, which often leads to death. Treatment dramatically reduced the ability of cancer to grow and metastasize.

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