Taking a Closer Look at the Prostate Cancer Metastasis

A team of investigators coming from the Scripts Research Institute located in California examined the effects of the uPA (urokine plasminogen activator) in the early evolution of cancer spreading in the organism. Leading the team of scientists were doctors Elena Deryugina and James Quigley.

As statistics show, the prostate tumors affect, commonly, male population over the age of fifty years. In the United States, the prostate cancer is the main malign disease affecting men. The high mortality rate caused by this type of cancer is due to the fact that the tumor cells develop fast and reaches metastasis, thus, affecting other organs in the human body.

One of the first signs of tumor cell development is the fact that the malign cells become connected to the blood flow of the human body in a process entitled intravasation. Conn and his team tried to take a closer look at this process and in order to achieve this, the investigators took a prostate carcinoma sample and managed to isolate the high and low circulation and spreading of the cancer cells. The cellular line from the prostate cancer tissue that was more expected to metastasize showed a big angiogenic feature. Furthermore, it was observed that this type of cells were more aggressive in spreading in the whole human body.

The cells that have pronounced metastatic characteristics create more levels of urokine plasminogen activator. The team of researchers discovered that in order to counteract and even stop the development, intravasation and imigration of the aggressive cancer cells in the organism, the levels of the urokine plasminogen activator should be lowered and this serine protease should be inhibited.

The team of investigators from the Scripts Research Institute drew as conclusion for their research that there is a strong relationship between the metastasis of the prostate cancer and the urokine plasminogen activator. After comparing the samples and their results and specifics, they stated that the secretion of VEGF and the urokine plasminogen activator aid the malign cells in their pathway to spreading to other organs in the body. Logically, these two agents are also some of the causes for cancer cells intravasation. Last but not least, the investigators stated that there is a relationship between the two factors and the angiogenesis and the linkage of the tumor cells into the blood flow of the infected organism.