Introduction
Cancer is a disease that has many forms and can have a number of causes which include genetic factors, lifestyle factors, as well as diet and physical activities (Trafton). Some types of cancer are seen in some families linked by genetic makeup although most of the known types of cancer are not genetically associated. This research will, however, seek to explain and identify the types of proteins that are known to cause three types of cancers. These types of cancer include lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and female breast cancer. Chemotherapy for any type of cancer targets a specific protein. This research will describe the kinds of proteins targeted in the above-mentioned types of cancer, the effectiveness of the drugs used, and the possibility of one drug being effective when treating multiple cancers.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is one of the very common types of cancer. Its prevalence is actually on the rise in the recent past causing a lot of concerns among medical professionals. Lung cancer therapy targets a specific protein which has been identified as Brachyury Protein (Trafton). This protein has been identified in recent research as the one playing the biggest role in causing the growth and the spread of cancer in the lungs. The CCR’s Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology has been conducting numerous researches to investigate this protein and its expression in the human lung tumor tissues as well as carcinoma cell lines (Perez). Researchers have described the Brachyury protein as a factor in epithelial-mesenchymal transition ‘EMT’ (Trafton).
During the study, 39 lung cancer patients were involved and 41% of the patients had the Brachyury protein expresser in their tissues. The expression of Brachyury protein in patients who do not have cancer is significantly less compared to individuals suffering from cancer. The scientists say their results maintain a supplementary study into the expansion of new Brachyury-targeted therapies that would avert metastasis and drug resistance (Trafton). A clinical trial is now continuing at the NIH Clinical Center and it utilizes a recombinant vaccine aimed in opposition to Brachyury. In the United States, lung cancer is the prime cause of cancer-related bereavements. The overall five-year endurance rate is less than 16 percent, and just about 50 percent of patients experience reappearance of cancer within five years of diagnosis (Trafton).
Breast cancer
The protein that accelerates the growth and the spread of breast cancer in the body tissues has also been identified. Scientists have identified that breast cancer can be fueled by two proteins according to research done in medical labs. The pair of proteins considered as the main agents in the proliferation of breast cancer are NEETs – NAF-1 and mitoNEET (Yang). The new study was prompted by the team’s acknowledgment of a correlation between NEETs and compact rates of breast cancer amongst women who receive a diabetes drug that aims mitoNEET. “NEET proteins take part in a key function in the general strain reaction of cells (Grisham).
Tests established a superfluity of equally mitoNEET and NAF-1 in breast cancer cells. In addition, the researchers established a straight association between NEET protein levels and the general development of the ailment (Yang). The results propose that the superfluity of NEETs is an aspect of the runaway development of cancer cells, and that would put together NEETs as a prime mark for anticancer drugs. The prevalence of breast cancer is significantly high in developed countries compared to the developing world. That is caused by a number of factors and life expectancy is one of them. In the USA only, 232,340 female breast cancer cases are reported every year while 39,620 deaths are caused by the disease (Gobel).
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is the fourth most widespread cancer in men and the third in women internationally (Rosenberg). It is recurrent cancer that registers more than one million cases each year and the survival rate is minimal. This type of cancer is mainly seen to prevail in emerging economies like China and Dubai. These raises are accredited to adjustment in diet, lifestyle, and model of bodily activity. Most of the victims of colorectal cancer rarely survive five years after diagnosis. They mostly die from metastatic disease.
While a number of treatment alternatives are accessible for CRC patients, as well as surgery, chemotherapy and biologic therapies aiming at two dissimilar systems, new treatment alternatives are necessary to advance endurance rates. A protein that is very critical to heart has been identified as one of the major causes of colorectal cancer. The protein is known as the Blood Vessels Endocardial Substance, BVES (Rosenberg). This protein is critical in the regulation of corneal cells. Studies demonstrate that BDNF is potentially concerned in CRC development and CRC resistance to drugs targeted at a further protein identified as the gastrin-releasing peptide, GRP. By jamming GRP with RC-3095, a competitor molecule that restrains increase in colorectal cancer cells, expression intensity of BDNF may raise.
Dr. Roesler and equals observed that when levels of BDNF were advanced RC-3095-treated colorectal cells still reproduced, demonstrating that BDNF restrains the anti-proliferative effect of RC-3095 (Rosenberg). On the other hand, obstruction of BDNF receptor TrkB salvages the anti-proliferative property of RC-3095 (Rosenberg). These conclusions propose that BDNF is linked with a compensatory reaction system aimed at preserving superior proliferative level feature of growth sequence.
Conclusion
Considering the study and investigation carried by a number of experts in the field of medicine, there is no single drug that has been identified and can effectively deal with multiple cancers. The causes of cancer are influenced by a specific protein. This makes it difficult to generalize treatment for cancer under a single drug. It is also noted that one drug may not be effectively sufficient to treat multiple cancers. The paper has deeply explained the proteins that are target in the treatment of three cancers: lung cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer. The study shows that these particular proteins play the biggest role in advancing cancer in the body tissues.
The research has adequately discussed how the proteins affect the cells causing cancer. In this research, it has been discovered that cancer is more prevalent in the developed world compared to the developing countries. The research results have been backed up by a series of reasons for the disparity in cases of cancer in these two distinct worlds. Colorectal cancer has been identified as the type of cancer with the highest mortality rate. The prospects of survival for patients suffering from this type of cancer are very meager.
Works Cited
Gobel, Holmes. “Aspirin Intake and Survival after Breast Cancer”. Journal of Clinical Oncology, (2010): 1467–72. Print.
Grisham, Julie. New Molecule Targets Proteins inside Cancer Cells. 2013. Web.
Perez, Vicky. “Brachyury Protein: A Potential Target in Lung Cancer Therapy.” In the Journals Home Page. Web.
Rosenberg, Denise. A potential novel drug-target for colorectal cancer treatment comes from the brain.2011. Web.
Trafton, Anne. Protein is linked to lung cancer development. 2009. Web.
Yang, Jacobsen. “A systematic review of the association between breastfeeding and breast cancer.” Journal of women’s health, (2002) 1635–45. Print.