KRAS Gene Hijacks Pancreatic And Lung Cancer Defenses
Friday, April 10, 2015 - 08:50
in Health & Medicine
A vital self-destruct switch in cells is hijacked - making some pancreatic and non small cell lung cancers more aggressive, according to new research which found that mutations in the KRAS gene interferes with protective self-destruct switches, known as TRAIL receptors, which usually help to kill potentially cancerous cells. The research, carried out in cancer cells and mice, shows that in cancers with faulty versions of the KRAS gene these TRAIL receptors actually help the cancer cells to grow and spread to new areas in the body. These KRAS faults occur in 95 percent of pancreatic cancers - pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma - and 30 percent of non small cell lung cancers. read more