Putting the Brakes on Bladder Cancer - dailyRx

As with any malignancy, once bladder cancer starts to travel to other parts of the body, an individual's chances of outliving it are diminished. So, preventing that spread is a major objective of research.

A protein that's sort of like a siren - versican - has been shown to help cancer cells get set up in the lung. This research discovered that another protein - RhoGD12 - silences versican so that cancer cells can't grow and thrive in the lung.

If your urine turns dark or rust colored, see your doctor.

The paper's senior author, Dan Theodorescu, M.D., Ph.D., director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, says this finding could help people with bladder cancer live longer.

Metastasis isn't something that happens all of a sudden. Cells don't start moving just out of the blue.

No, these cells may have been stalking around in the blood or lymph for a while, just looking for a place to land, latch on and grow. 

The lungs are a great landing pad for cancer cells.

But getting settled in is stressful for these cells. They get overwhelmed and panicked. When that happens, they make a distress call, and versican responds to save the day and the cancer.

The more versican that builds up, the more support troops arrive in what's known as macrophages, which are sort of like garbage men. They eat up stuff that could a cell harm, even if that cell is a potential killer.

So the macrophages support the bladder cancer cells in getting set up in lungs and that's when metastasis takes hold and over.

The protein RhoGDI2 puts the brakes on this process, Dr. Theodorescu and colleagues demonstrated, by decreasing the levels of versican. When they added RhoGD12 to a bladder tumor in the lab, versican and metastasis were both decreased. 

"We believe this study provides an important contribution to the scientific literature by delineating for the first time a new mechanism of metastasis suppression, namely that suppression of metastasis is possible by altering the tumor microenvironment, including reducing the presence of macrophages," Theodorescu says.

The story doesn't end there. Another protein called CCL2 helps versican recruit macrophages. And that's a nifty finding because, clinical trials are already under way testing drugs that inhibit, or block CCL2.

If the laboratory results can be repeated in humans, these drugs might just be the ticket to lowering metastasis, thereby significantly extending lives.

When asked what all this means, Dr. Theodorescu told dailyRx, “The significance of our study to patients is that two of the drugs used have the very real possibility of crossing over quickly to human use. This could be a major advance in keeping bladder cancer from metastasizing to the lungs,” he concluded.

This study was published March 12, 2012 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. 

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health. No conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the United States, and over 64,000 men and women are diagnosed each year, with men making up four out of every five diagnoses. The most common type is called transitional cell carcinoma, which causes abnormal growth of cells on the inner lining of the urinary bladder.

Risk for developing bladder cancer is primarily due to environmental exposures. Cigarette smoking is the most serious risk factor, responsible for up to half of bladder cancer in men, and a third in women.

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Occupational exposure to chemicals is another serious risk factor, with bus drivers, rubber workers, motor mechanics, leather workers, blacksmiths, machine setters and mechanics being at particular risk. As with most cancers, exposure to radiation and chemotherapy also increase risk.

Symptoms of bladder cancer are non-specific and may resemble those of conditions like bladder and prostate infections. Most people notice blood in the urine, painful urination, and urinary frequency and urgency. As cancer progresses, patients may notice general symptoms of advanced cancer such as weight loss, anemia, fatigue, and abdominal pain.

Diagnosis is primarily made by cystoscopy, where a camera is inserted through the urethra to visualize and biopsy the inside of the bladder. Examination of the urine may reveal cancerous cells as well.

Early stage bladder cancer can be treated with bladder-sparing surgery to remove the tumor, as well as treat chemotherapy directly into the bladder (Doxorubicin (Adriamycin), Mitomycin-C (Mutamycin), Thiotepa (Thioplex) and immunotherapy for the bladder (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy, a mycobacterium that prevents cancer recurrence). Later stage cancers where the tumor has advanced into the muscle tissue of the bladder have much lower survival rates. Removal of the entire bladder )as well as prostate and seminal vesicles in men, and urethra, uterus, and the front wall of the vagina in women) may be necessary, as well as systemic chemotherapy (gemcitabine/cisplatin, Paclitaxel/carboplatin).

Fruit and yellow-orange vegetables, particularly carrots and selenium are associated with a moderately reduced risk of bladder cancer. Citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables were also identified as having a possible protective effects.

 Related Topics: Bladder CancerNews Share / Bookmark this Story Facebook Twitter Google Yahoo Digg del.icio.us StumbleUpon LinkedIn Google Buzz SlashDot Newsvine Favorite Review Reviewed by: Joseph V. Madia, MD Review Date:  Wednesday March 14, 2012Last Updated: Thursday March 15, 2012Citation: University of Colorado Denver, "Major study stops bladder cancer from metastasizing to lungs" 1-800-TKO-Cancer Source: dailyRx top nav menuHomeConditionsAllergiesArthritisAsthmaCardiovascularCancerConcussionsEmphysemaEye DiseasesGastrointestinal DisordersDiabetes - Type 1Diabetes - Type 2 Heart AttackImmunizationsInfectious DiseasesKidney DiseasesKidney FailureMen's HealthNeuromuscular DiseasesObesityOBGYNPatient-Safety & EducationPediatricsRheumatoid ArthritisSclerodermaTraumaWomen's HealthMedicationsClinical TrialsFDA AlertsFDA ApprovalsNatural MedicineOTC NewsPrescription Drug NewsMental HealthAddictionsAlcohol AddictionAlzheimersAnorexiaAnxiety DisordersAttention Deficit Disorder (ADD)AutismAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHDBi-PolarBorderline Personality DisorderDementiaDepressionDrug AddictionEating DisordersFood AddictionGeneralized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)Panic DisorderPost Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)SchizophreniaSex AddictionSocial Anxiety Disorder (SAD)Sleep DisordersStressSuicide PreventionTobacco AddictionSharedailyRx NewsletterdailyRx PrescribedailyRx on your site (feeds) SearchSearch this site: ConditionsAAcid RefluxAddictionsAdenocarcinomaAlcohol AddictionAllergiesAlzheimer's DiseaseAmyotrophic Lateral SclerosisAnemiaAnkylosing SpondylitisAnorexia NervosaAnxiety DisordersAortic AneurysmAsthmaAtherosclerosisAtrial FibrillationAttention Deficit Disorder (ADD)Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)Autism Spectrum DisordersBBack PainBarrett's EsophagusBasal Cell CarcinomaBinge-Eating DisorderBipolar DisorderBladder CancerBleeding/Clotting DisordersBlindness/Macular DegenerationBlood CancerBone CancerBorderline Personality DisorderBrain CancerBreast Cancer (female)Breast Cancer (male)Bulimia NervosaCCancerCardiovascularCataractsCeliac DiseaseCervical CancerChild DisordersChronic Obstructive Pulmonary DiseaseChronic Pain ConditionsCirrhosisColon CancerConcussionCongestive Heart FailureConstipationCrohn's DiseaseCystic FibrosisDDeafness/Hearing LossDeep Venous ThrombosisDementiaDental HealthDepressionDermatologyDiabetesDiabetic RetinopathyDialysisDiarrheaDrug AddictionEEating DisordersEczemaEmotional HealthEmphysemaEnd Stage Renal DiseaseEpilepsy/Seizure DisordersErectile DysfunctionEsophageal CancerEye DiseaseFFamily PlanningFemale CancerFibromyalgiaFibrotic DiseaseFood AddictionFood Borne IllnessGGall Bladder CancerGallstonesGastrointestinalGeneralized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)GlaucomaGoutGraves' DiseaseHHealthy DevelopmentHealthy Eating And DietHealthy HomeHeart AttackHematologyHemophiliaHepatitisHiatal HerniaHigh CholesterolHIV/AIDSHuntington's DiseaseHypertensionHyperthyroidismHypothyroidismIImmune Mediated AnemiaImmunizationsIncontinence Indoor AllergiesInfectious DiseaseInfluenzaIron Deficiency AnemiaIrritable Bowel SyndromeJJoint ReplacementKKidney CancerKidney DiseaseKidney FailureLLactose Intolerance/Food AllergyLambert-Eaton SyndromeLeukemiaLiposarcomaLiver CancerLiver DiseaseLow TestosteroneLung CancerLupusLymphomaMMad Cow DiseaseMale CancerMelanomaMen's HealthMeningitis/EncephalitisMenopause/Hormone ReplacementMental HealthMetabolic DefectsMigraine/HeadachesMultiple MyelomaMultiple SclerosisMuscle/Soft Tissue CancerMuscular DystrophyMyosarcomaNNasal CancerNervous SystemNeuromuscular DiseaseNon-Small CellOObesityObsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)Obstetrics/GynecologyOral CancerOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOvarian CancerOveractive Bladder OABPPancreatic CancerPancreatitisPanic DisorderParkinson's DiseasePatient Safety/EducationPediatricsPeripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)PneumoniaPolycythemiaPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Prenatal CareProstate CancerPsoriasisPsoriatic ArthritisPulmonaryPulmonary DiseasePulmonary EmbolismRRectal CancerRenal HypertensionRheumatic DiseaseRheumatoid ArthritisRosaceaSSchizophreniaSclerodermaSeasonal AllergiesSex AddictionSexual HealthSexually Transmitted DiseaseSickle Cell AnemiaSjogren's SyndromeSkin CancerSleep Apnea/InsomniaSleep DisordersSmall CellSmoking CessationSocial Anxiety Disorder (SAD)Squamous CellSquamous Cell CarcinomaStomach CancerStrep Throat/Rheumatic FeverStressStrokeSuicide PreventionTTesticular CancerThrombophiliaThyroid CancerThyroid DisordersTobacco AddictionTraumaTraumatic Brain InjuryTuberculosisType 1 DiabetesType 2 DiabetesUUlcerUlcerative ColitisUrinary Tract InfectionUterine CancerVVertigo/Balance DisordersViolence PreventionVon Willebrand DiseaseVulvar CancerWWomen's HealthA