Israeli Researchers Claim Breakthrough to Prevent Spread of Melanoma
In what's being hailed as a "landmark discovery," Israeli researchers from Tel Aviv University along with the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg say they have discovered the mechanism by which melanoma spreads to other organs in the body.
Melanoma is the deadliest and most aggressive form of skin cancer. It causes the death of one person every 52 minutes according to data from the Skin Cancer Foundation.
"The threat of melanoma is not in the initial tumor that appears on the skin, but rather in its metastasis – cancer cells sent off to colonize in vital organs like the brain, lungs, liver and bones," says research leader Dr. Carmit Levy from the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine.
"We discovered how the cancer spreads to distant organs, and found ways to stop the process before the metastatic stage," Levy was quoted as saying in a press release from TAU.
The scientists discovered that the tumor sends out tiny vesicles (little pouches) containing "molecules of microRNA" because it spreads to other organs. These induce "morphological changes" in the dermis (underneath layer of skin) "in preparation for receiving and transporting the cancer cells."
The researchers also found "chemical substances" that can halt the process and could be promising drug candidates in the future, they said.
The findings were published as the cover-page article in the prominent scientific journal "Nature Cell Biology" on Monday.
"Our study is an important step on the road to a full remedy for the deadliest skin cancer," Levy said. "We hope that our findings will help turn melanoma into a nonthreatening, easily curable disease."
