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Today's news: Key Piece to Prostate Cancer Puzzle Found

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Posted 2/11/2009 7:55 PM (GMT -5)
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Feb. 11, 2009 -- An unexpected discovery has turned up a key piece to the prostate cancer puzzle.

The finding comes from a powerful new science called metabolomics. Using these new techniques, scientists discovered that urine levels of an obscure amino acid derivative called sarcosine show whether a man has aggressive or benign prostate cancer.

To the scientists' surprise, sarcosine wasn't just a harmless marker.

Benign prostate cancer cells exposed to sarcosine suddenly turn nasty, becoming aggressive and invasive cancer cells. Aggressive prostate cancer cells that can't get sarcosine are tamed, becoming much less invasive...
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read the full text at

http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20090211/key-piece-to-prostate-cancer-puzzle-found
Posted 2/11/2009 7:56 PM (GMT -5)
Kudos to all you Michigan fans!

DJ
Posted 2/11/2009 8:11 PM (GMT -5)
So DJ, translate what you posted in layman's terms, didn't really get it, but interested to know
Posted 2/11/2009 8:44 PM (GMT -5)
I saw this on our CBS affiliate news this evening. It is a very interesting discovery. The doctor who was interviewed did say that this research is still has a lot to go before it is used.
Posted 2/11/2009 10:25 PM (GMT -5)
David, it seems there's a chemical called sarcosine that might be causing wimpy prostate cancer to become aggressive prostate cancer. So if that turns out to be true, someone should develop a test for it. And, if they figure out why it makes the cancer aggressive, they should be able to figure out how to keep the cancer from getting aggressive. Which would be useful.

DJ
Posted 2/12/2009 12:12 AM (GMT -5)

Thank you very much for sharing this.  It makes lurking here worthwhile.

The more I read about stuff coming down the pike, the more I can be optimistic that if we can at a minimum hold out on this coming back for a good long time, there will be many more treatments available to at the least keep pushing it back for a good long time.

Reading this gives me grounds for optimization that maybe I can die in my sleep when I am 93 or so.


Posted 2/12/2009 2:23 AM (GMT -5)
as always we are ever hopeful that someday there will be a cure or at least a reason.
Posted 2/12/2009 8:33 AM (GMT -5)
dj - thanks for the explain, that makes more sense, even my own dr that I highly regard, says they dont often know what makes one type highly fast moving/agressive, and similar type/cells slow as mud.

chris - i would rather hope they can find a cure before a reason. the more advanced dna work that happens, the more chance, perhaps not in our lifetimes, but one day they will have it all figured out.

me - my original goal in life was to live to be 100 and be shot by a jealous husband, lol.
Posted 2/12/2009 11:44 AM (GMT -5)
David...all we can do is hope...but unfortunately....cancer is a moving target and nearly impossible to hit. I suspect that a method for prevention will come along before a cure is found.
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