OHSU Cancer Institute researcher discovers what fuels certain cance...( ATLANTA An Oregon Health & Science U...),Health

ATLANTA An Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researcher has discovered that a particular hormone is responsible for driving a cancer enzyme to cause an often deadly red blood cell cancer.

Researchers working with the cancer mutation in the JAK2 enzyme have found that the enzyme is dependent on the hormone TNF-alpha to grow and cause a red blood cell cancer called polycythemia vera, said principal investigator Thomas Bumm, M.D., Ph.D., OHSU Cancer Institute member.

This research will be presented at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta on Monday, Dec. 10, at 3:30 p.m.

Polycythemia vera is a disease in which there are too many red blood cells in the bone marrow and blood, causing the blood to thicken. There is no cure.

Mice with normal TNF-alpha production and the JAK2 mutation developed the red blood cell disease very quickly within two to three weeks. The blood became very thick, and they developed severe bone marrow fibrosis, excessive fibers in the bone marrow with a decrease in healthy cells. In contrast, mice without the hormone but carrying the JAK2 mutation had normal red blood cell levels and normal bone marrow.

The hormone, TNF-alpha is known as a highly potent hormone, but until now its role in cancer has not been well understood.

If these specific hormones are understood, then there is hope to find a new way to fight these cancer cells by attacking the specific hormones triggering the cancer cells, said Bumm, a fellow in hematology/ medical oncology, OHSU School of Medicine.

There are already drugs developed that target TNF-alpha used for patients with auto immune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. But the drugs have not been used for cancer patients. Bumm said one of the next steps will be to conduct studies on a larger mouse study and also testing these different drugs effect on this JAK2-induced cancer.

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