Korean researchers identified the mechanism of brain tumor recurrence through cancer protein genome analysis "for the first time in the world," a local cancer hospital said.
The National Cancer Center (NCC) said Wednesday that Dr. Park Jong-bae, head of the Cancer Proteomics Division, and Dr. Kim Kyung-hee, who leads the Proteomics Analysis Team, have released the results of the innovative research. The study identifies the mechanism of brain tumor recurrence through cancer proteomics analysis and presents new treatment strategies for treatment-resistant brain tumors.
The study highlights the discovery of a novel mechanism linking tumor development and neural network formation, the NCC explained.
Using proteomic analysis, the team identified a mechanism for brain tumor recurrence that is difficult to identify using conventional genomic analysis and revealed a complex process by which tumor cells change during recurrence to take on characteristics similar to existing neurons.
According to the NCC, the research team monitored the evolution of tumor cells after treatment through genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analysis of the primary and recurrent cancers of 123 patients with glioblastoma, a type of malignant brain tumor.
The results showed that recurrent cancer after treatment affects cancer growth, progression, and metastasis through neurotransmitter interactions between cancer cells and neurons. The WNT/PCP and BRAF signaling pathways not only play an important role in promoting the adaptation process of tumor cells but are also important mechanisms for therapeutic targets.
More specifically, researchers found that the combination of the targeted therapy vemurafenib, which inhibits the BRAF proteome, and the standard anticancer drug Temodal inhibited the growth, progression, and metastasis of recurrent tumor cells and impaired their ability to invade. They also confirmed a significant increase in survival time in animal models.
As a result, their study became the first worldwide to show that these altered cells are resistant to conventional drug and radiation therapy.
"This is a meaningful result of the world's first proteomic analysis of glioblastoma primary and recurrent cancers," Dr. Kim said. "Through cancer proteomic analysis, we could conduct research that could not be predicted using the genome alone and present new treatment strategies."
Dr. Park said, "This achievement results from our successful cancer proteomics research project in collaboration with the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Significantly, we have identified for the first time worldwide that network formation between neurons and brain tumor cells induces brain tumor recurrence through cancer proteomics analysis."
He continued, “We will keep conducting collaborative research through international partnerships to overcome intractable cancers and enable personalized cancer treatment.”
The team's findings, which uncovered the mechanisms of cancer recurrence by systematically analyzing primary and recurrent brain tumors, were published in the prestigious international journal Cancer Cell (IF 50.3).