A discovery by Turkish scientists that halts the growth of cancer tumours
The identification made by Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Mutlu Demiray and his team (Medicana Hospital) — who draw attention with their personalized treatment method applied by mapping cancer patients' genes — by working on a gene with no definition in the world, was published in ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology), the leading journal of the American cancer community. Prof. Dr. Demiray, who revealed that the RAF-1 protein causes the cancer cell to grow, told SABAH ahead of Cancer Week how they eliminated the tumour in a cancer patient within three months with the drug treatment they applied. Noting that they would touch the lives of thousands of patients with this treatment method, Demiray said: "We experienced the happiness of contributing to science."
Stating that the study published in ASCO, the leading journal of the American cancer community, aimed to reveal how the RAF-1 protein works and what role it plays in cancer, Prof. Dr. Mutlu Demiray said the following about the much-discussed work:
"We took a biopsy from our patient, who came to us having exhausted all the options of the standard treatment he had received. It had metastasized to the liver and bones. We saw something very interesting in the liver lesions and their genetic quality. The patient had developed cancer through mutations, and these mutations were increasing this tumour. Hereditarily, mutations in this position cause heart enlargement in children — that is, they enlarge the organ they are in. Starting from this, we said, 'these mutations may be enlarging this cancer,' and asked ourselves: 'What kind of change did these mutations cause, and which mechanisms came into play inside the cell?'
After our team's research, we determined that the RAF-1 protein triggers a very important mechanism, and we found that in the patient the RAF-1 protein could not be switched off, and that this was continuously growing the tumour. As is known, cancer is a group of cells that grow uncontrollably. This protein triggers a mechanism that fundamentally causes the cell to grow. It is just like the switch in our home: when you press it, it should turn on, and when you press it again, it should turn off. That is, when the cell needs to proliferate it should increase, and afterwards it should stop. The RAF-1 protein must bind to the region called 14-3-3 at its 621st and 259th positions. But here, because the proline is not phosphorylated, the binding cannot occur. And throughout the time it stays open, the cancer cell continues to grow.
We had no drug to switch this off and the entire liver was full of tumour; but three months after giving the MEK drug, there was no tumour left. We stopped the cell growth. So if we give an example of this situation: if we cannot turn off the light by pressing the switch, we have to cut the cable going to the lamp. This was undefined data. We reached out to a professor in Singapore about it, and it was proven at the cellular and molecular level that our hypothesis was correct. The RAF-1 protein mutation is seen at a frequency of about 1 percent on average. This means that, considering there are around 8 million cancer patients each year, it is seen in about 100,000 patients. We believe we will touch patients' lives. We were very excited. We were also happy to contribute to science."
A cancer vaccine is possible
Signalling an important advance in cancer treatment, Demiray said: "The mutant peptides found in cancer cells are not recognized on their own; but if we bring them together, they give us a large protein. If you make its RNA, a cancer vaccine emerges. Thanks to personalized treatment created by mapping the gene structure, it is possible to produce a person-specific cancer vaccine."
Tracking the tumour in the blood is possible
The oncology specialist Demiray continued: "We have another genetically based test. With it, by mapping genes, we can predict whether you will have cancer in the future. This test can show a tumour that is one in a million in the blood. Through molecular analyses, it gives the chance to track tumour dynamics in the blood nine months before a PET scan or MRI. That is why we say: 'If a person cannot analyse cancer biology, they cannot treat it either.'"