Inflammation and Cancer | www.dailyrx.com

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The link between inflammation and cancer has been used to advertise everything from fish oil to aspirin, but the science behind it can be murky. Some new research may show the mechanism behind the link.

A group of researchers found the molecular machinery that makes the proteins in inflammatory states that can lead toward leukemia and lymphomas, types of blood cancers.

The study showed that the part of the cell that makes proteins, a part called the ribosome, becomes defective before the cancer develops.

Ask your doctor about anti-inflammatory therapies.

In research presented at the American Association of Cancer Research's Annual Meeting, scientists from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia believe that the ribosomal protein L22 was mutated or deleted in nine percent of a group of leukemia patients.

This study suggests that its absence may play a role in cancer development. That ribosomal protein has been linked to abnormalities in T cell development, also highlighting the complicated role of the immune system in fighting cancer.

"These findings help explain how mutations in one class of proteins can trigger the development of cancer," says Shuyun Rao, Ph.D., co-author on the study. "If we find a way to block the pathway activated by these mutations, this may cause tumors to regress."

The research was tested in genetic variations of mice. In groups without the L22 gene, lymphomas occurred more often and grew faster.

In human cells where the gene had been deactivated, early stages of lymphoma development were observed in an inflammatory pathway which has been frequently associated with cancer development.

The research concluded that L22?may be involved in other cancers beyond leukemias.

The research was presented at the American Association of Cancer Research's April 2nd meeting. Until subsequent publication in a peer reviewed journal, findings should be considered preliminary.

No financial conflicts of interest were disclosed with the research.

Leukemia

According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, there are over 245,000 people in the United States living with some form of leukemia, and over 44,000 new cases will be diagnosed each year. Among children with cancer, one out of every three will have some form of leukemia. However, over 90% of all cases of leukemia occur in adults.

Leukemia broadly defines a number of different cancers that originate in the bone marrow and blood cell lines, and typically produces an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the body. Leukemias are subdivided into whether they are acute (occur rapidly) or chronic (develop over many years) and then further subdivided into what type of blood cell they start from, lymphocytic (usually from white blood cells that fight infection, like B-cells) or myelogenous (arising from cells in the bone marrow that eventually produce red blood cells). These categories make up the four most common types of leukemia:

• Acute Lymphoblastic (ALL): Affects adults over age 65 (50% survival); also the most common form of leukemia in children (85% survival)
• Chronic Lymphocytic (CLL): Affects mostly men over age 55 (75% survival)
• Acute Myelogenous (AML): Affects mostly adult men (40% survival)
• Chronic Myelogenous (CML): Affects mainly adults (90% survival)

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Each of these general forms of leukemia is further subdivided into the type of cell that is affected, and treatments differ based on what the root cause is. There are also other types of leukemia that do not generally fit into any of these categories, such as Hairy cell leukemia, Adult T-cell leukemia, and T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, an extremely rare and aggressive cancer.

There is no single cause for all the different types of leukemia. Research has shown that there is a predisposition for certain leukemias to run in families. Environmental factors such as exposure to the chemical benzene as well as other petrochemicals have been linked as well. People who have received certain types of chemotherapy (alkylating agents; and topoisomerase inhibitors) and people exposed to large amounts of radiation are also at greater risk. While not a direct risk factor, cigarette smoking has been linked to an increased risk of developing leukemia.

Symptoms of leukemia can be similar to those of other less serious diseases, and patients will have the disease discovered with blood testing and pathological examination of the blood cells. Common symptoms include fevers and night sweats, feeling fatigue and weakness, bleeding and bruising easily, frequent infections (from non-functioning immune cells), unexplained weight loss, and pain in the bones and joints. Some patients may notice swollen lymph nodes in the armpits or neck that are painless when touched.

Treatment is dependent on the type of leukemia, as certain forms are responsive to specific chemotherapies and radiation treatments, while others may not be. Newer therapies such as targeted therapy and biologic agents are being used more frequently as well. Some forms of leukemia are treated with a bone marrow transplant, which entails replacing the entire blood cell producing system. Acute leukemias are life-threatening, so they are immediately and aggressively treated, while chronic leukemias may not require treatment for several years.

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