Is an Australian study paving the way for some new colon cancer treatment?
If a new study is to be believed then researchers are very well on their way to developing an innovative treatment for colon cancer prevention.
Scientists at the Australian National University have found a way to use medication to turn on a protein that blocks cancer and may remove damaged DNA from the body “like a light switch,” as reported by the New York Post.
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The protein known as Ku70, as per researcher Dr. Abhimanu Pandey, “In its activated state, the protein acts like a surveillance system, detecting signs of damaged DNA in our cells.”
“Damaged DNA,” he continued, is usually an early warning sign that cells may develop into cancer. Ku70 has the power to undo or at least slow down the harm.
According to the research, Ku70 can both clean up damaged DNA and “cool down” cancer cells.
The protein mainly deactivates and stops cancer cells, preventing them from becoming more aggressive and spreading throughout the body.
In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports and showed scary statistics of 126,240 cases of colorectal cancer in the United States. 51,869 people lost their lives to the deadly disease that year.
In Australia, the study’s location, it was found that 100 persons pass away from some sort of bowel cancer every week.
However, the research, which is now published in Science Advances, indicates that 90% of cases may be successfully treated if diagnosed early on and this could prove to be a new treatment for colon cancer.
It is well known that early diagnosis and medical care are necessary for curing not just colorectal cancer but also other cancers, according to researcher Si Ming Man.
Man went on to say that measuring for Ku70 levels may soon be part of the screening process for diseases like colon cancer.
He clarified, “Our findings indicate that Ku70 is a useful immune biomarker, which aids in the prediction of patients’ prognosis following a diagnosis of bowel cancer.”
