Ovarian cancer: glutamine helps assess risk
All content is checked by medical journalists.MunichOvarian cancer is considered particularly treacherous: It is difficult to detect and quickly forms subsidiary ulcers. A simple metabolic profile of the tumor could in future help to better assess the hazard potential and thus treat it in a more targeted manner.
The life expectancy of ovarian cancer varies dramatically, depending on whether the tumor has already metastasized or not. But how can you determine at an early stage what potential for aggression cancer cells have? Deepak Nagrath from the University of Texas and his team investigated this question. To do this, the scientists studied the metabolism of various cancer cell cultures for three years and carried out additional detailed genetic analyzes of 700 cancer patients.
Aggressive tumors need a lot of energy
"We discovered a clear difference in the metabolism of aggressive and non-aggressive tumor cells," explains Nagrath. This applies in particular to the production and consumption of glutamine. Cancer cells that were willing to divide had a very high requirement for this amino acid. They cannot cover this with their own production alone, which is why they also obtain the glutamine from the cell environment.
With this knowledge, the researchers were able to develop a simple test that makes the danger of the tumor predictable. For this purpose, the ratio of glutamine is determined, which the cells absorb from the outside and which they produce themselves. "This reference value is a reliable marker for the prognosis", explains the co-author of the study Anil Sood. In addition, the scientists discovered a biomarker called STAT3. The more aggressive the tumor, the more of it can be found in the patient's body. Glutamine also plays a key role here because the amino acid ensures that the production of the biomarker is stimulated.
Tailored medicines
According to Nagrath, the different requirements for glutamine could also play an important role in therapy in the future: "In the laboratory test, we were able to specifically kill metastatic cancer cells with active ingredients that remove glutamine from the cell environment." that in the future drugs could be tailored to the tumor's metabolic profile. However, it is not enough just to disrupt the cell's internal production of glutamine - this approach is currently being increasingly pursued in the production of new therapeutics. Because the example of ovarian cancer cells shows that only the less aggressive cells are targeted.
The researchers were astonished that different types of cancer generally need different metabolic products. Just like ovarian cancer cells, prostate tumors, for example, also need glutamine as an energy source. “Kidney cancer cells, on the other hand, do not depend on glutamine,” says the researcher. Breast cancer cells, in turn, mainly used glycolysis, i.e. the breakdown of sugars, in order to gain energy for their growth.
Susceptible after menopause
Cancer of the ovaries occurs in most cases in postmenopausal women. Every year between 7000 and 8000 women in Germany develop this form of cancer. A tumor on the ovary usually only causes symptoms at an advanced stage and is often noticed late. In around 50 percent of cases, the cancer affects both ovaries. The earlier the tumor is detected, the better - the chances of recovery are greatly reduced if metastases have already developed in the abdominal cavity. (lh)
Source: L. Yang et al. Metabolic shifts toward glutamine regulate tumor growth, invasion and bioenergetics in ovarian cancerium; Molecular Systems Biology; 2014; DOI: 10.1002 / msb.20134892
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