A protein that is overactive in oral and head and neck cancers and encourages tumors to grow could be a target for new treatments for the disease, according to a new study out of the U.K.
Cancer Research UK scientists have found that the FRMD4A protein is permanently switched on in cancer, and the higher the levels the more likely the disease is to spread and return (Cancer Research, July 1, 2012). By blocking FRMD4A, the scientists were able to stop cancers growing and spreading, and increased survival of mice with cancer.
"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," said lead author Stephen Goldie, a doctoral student at the University of Cambridge, in a press release. "These drugs could offer new options to patients where surgery and chemotherapy hasn't worked or could be used alongside them."
The research team is now looking to begin clinical trials, he noted.
