Cause of cancer cell growth identified

Experts in Copenhagen have identified a key process that influences the growth of cancer cells - a  discovery which could have major implications for treatment and identification of the disease in patients across the world.

According to a team led by Catharina Steentoft, from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen, a specific sugar molecule causes growth of cancer cells.

For years, the process of glycosylation, where sugar molecules are attached to proteins, has been of interest to scientists, as certain sugar molecules are present in large quantities in cancer cells.

However, Ms Steentoft's team, in conjunction with a research group in Singapore, have discovered that these sugar molecules are not only present, but aid the growth of malignant cells - a discovery they say is an important step towards a cure that can stop the growth of cancer cells.

The team showed that that immature sugar molecules in the form of truncated O-glycans aid the growth properties of cancer cells - something that scientists have not previously been able to decode.

Ms Steentoft said the results, which were recently published in the journal PNAS, are an important contribution to understanding the growth of cancer cells.

Though it is basic science and there is still "a long way" to go before experts can develop a treatment or use them for diagnostic purposes, it is still a cause for optimism.

"This is part of how we will proceed in the battle against cancer. When you know a certain process is important for the development of cancer you can start to consider ways to affect this process in a way that stops the cancer cell from taking advantage of it," she added.

For the past 30 years, scientists have attempted to use the truncated O-glycans as biomarkers for diagnostics and outcome-prediction, until experts on the new study finally pinpointed the significance of the sugar molecules - identifying that they cause the cancer cells to grow and the cancer to spread more aggressively.

"We have now taken the first step towards understanding how cancer cells can change their glycosylation and produce these truncated O-glycans," Ms Steentoft commented.

"It is a rather big step forward since it gives us an entirely new understanding of something we have worked many years to grasp. It guides our entire field of research towards new ways to proceed in the battle against cancer."