UCLA researchers have come up with a possible diagnostic marker that can help predict the degree to which someone suffering from cervical cancer would respond to various standard treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. Scientists have discovered that a gene residing on a small segment of the long arm of chromosome 11, called PACS-1, is overexpressed in the cancerous tissues, thus resulting in the growth and the spread of cancer. Furthermore, it was also discovered that the translocation of the protein PACS-1 from outside to the cell nucleus plays a major role in advancing cervical cancer, which is resistant to radiation and chemotherapy. According to the experts, higher levels of PACS-1 in the nucleus could imply resistance towards the treatment.
Cervical cancer is known to be one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths, especially among the women population worldwide. Even though the infection caused by human papillomaviruses plays a huge role in the development of cervical cancer, the mere presence of the virus is not enough to cause cervical cancer or any type of cancer. Environmental factors such as poor eating habits and smoking, as well as, genetic factors also play an important role. Therefore, it is necessary to find out the biological markers for diagnosis and treatment. This discovery can also prove extremely helpful for the growth of the Global Cervical Cancer Treatment Market.
The researchers performed a western blot, which is a technique to detect a specific molecule of protein among a big mixture of proteins on healthy cervical tissue, as well as cervical tumor and overexpression of PACS-1 was discovered in the tumor tissues.
In case the sample experiment of PACS-1 is confirmed to be successful, the usage of PACS-1 as a diagnostic marker can result in the advancement of therapeutic strategies to get over the resistance observed in the treatment of cervical cancer. A series of alternative treatment procedures, such as the inhibition of PACS-1, could be used in combination with immune-system activating or chemotherapy agents.