Cancer: Two Nutrients May Work Against Therapy, Scientists Discover

First Posted: Jul 14, 2015 10:17 AM EDT
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Two particular nutrients may actually work against cancer therapy. Scientists have found that glucose and acetate can be used by tumors to resist targeted therapies directed at specific cellular molecules.

Scientists have known for years that tumors have unusual metabolisms. Their rapid use of glucose is actually used as a diagnostic tool for tumors in PET scans. Only recently, though, have scientists begun to flesh out the details of this metabolic shift. Previously, researchers have shown that this shift can occur through the activation of a central cellular signal, mTORC2; this signal is involved in switching cancer cells to a hyperactive metabolic state. Glucose and acetate actually provide fuel and cellular building blocks to perpetuate the rapid growth of tumors.

In this latest study, the researchers found that glucose and acetate in turn regulate mTORC2, propelling tumor growth and fending off targeted drugs. Glucose or acetate can actually activate mTORC2 through the production of acetyl-coA, enabling tumors to resist therapies.

The new findings actually provide a window into the treatment of glioblastoma, which leaves most newly diagnosed patients with less than two years to live. Finding drugs to effectively target mTORC2 may be one way to shut down glioblastoma and possibly other types of tumors.

Currently, the researchers are working on seeing whether modifying diet can affect the production of these and other metabolites. With that said, this study doesn't point to the value of any particular diet for counteracting cancer.

"How do you turn these findings into something you do for patients?" said Paul Mischel, one of the researchers, in a news release. "It is going to take diligent and careful work to determine how lifestyle changes, including diet, can alter tumor cell metabolism. We are actively studying this process and hope that this information can be used to develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies for cancer patients."

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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