Cancer findings separate a spread mechanism, targetable alterations and a screening outcome
MiR-342 restrained spread in breast-cancer models; targetable alterations reached 58 per cent in younger lung-cancer patients. Colorectal-cancer mortality was 43 per cent lower among people who completed stool testing.
Science··Evening
MiR-342 supplied a preclinical brake on the metastatic pathway
A team from the University of Adelaide and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute reported that the microRNA miR-342 restrains the E2F pathway. Restoring miR-342 in cell culture and animal models markedly reduced the spread of triple-negative breast cancer to lungs and bones. Patients with low miR-342 and high E2F activity appeared to have greater metastatic risk; palbociclib reduced metastatic tumour growth in the same models. The findings are preclinical and require validation in patient-derived models.[1]
Targetable alterations were more common in younger lung-cancer patients
A retrospective analysis of genomic and immune data from 14,246 patients with non-small cell lung cancer found guideline-recommended targetable alterations in 58 per cent of younger adults. The rate was about 45 per cent among patients aged 55 and over. The comparison shows that targetable molecular findings were more common in the younger group, but it came from rereading existing patient data by age rather than from a clinical trial testing the effect of a new drug.[2]
Mortality was lower among people who completed screening
Karolinska Institutet analysed data from 376,511 people in the Stockholm-Gotland programme followed for up to 14 years. Colorectal-cancer mortality was 43 per cent lower among those who actually completed the faecal occult blood test; 1,668 colorectal-cancer deaths were recorded during follow-up. The published rate was adjusted for two biases: control-group participants who obtained testing independently and invited participants who did not complete it. The researchers noted that the estimate depends on those statistical assumptions.[3]
