Scientists at City of Hope, one among the most important cancer research and treatment organizations in the USA and a number one research center for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses, have identified a cell metabolism process present in men with diabetes and metastatic prostate cancer that would in the future result in improved testing and coverings for Black men with these diseases. The research might be highlighted within the press program for the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2023, a hybrid meeting that might be held virtually and in person in San Francisco from Aug. 13 to 17.
Black men are greater than twice as likely than other men to die from prostate cancer. In a continued search to develop inclusive diagnostic and predictive tests and personalized treatments, City of Hope researchers conducted a small clinical trial that identified 4 metabolism-related biomarkers linked to an increased risk of metastatic prostate cancer, or prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, in men of West African heritage. City of Hope leads the nation in having the primary research department focused on the intersection between cancer and diabetes.
“We now have identified genetic and molecular changes that might be developed right into a tool to predict which Black men are at the best risk of developing metastatic prostate cancer,” said Sarah Shuck, Ph.D., principal investigator of the trial who will present the information at ACS. Shuck is an assistant professor within the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Institute and Department of Diabetes & Cancer Metabolism at City of Hope.
This test would give doctors the power to more accurately predict patients’ prognoses and equip scientists with more data as they work to design therapies that prevent prostate cancer from developing in the primary place.”
Sarah Shuck, Ph.D., principal investigator of the trial
The issue appears to be production of a highly reactive compound often called methylglyoxal (MG), a byproduct of metabolism that’s elevated in individuals with diabetes. MG binds to DNA, RNA and protein, creating a fancy that will promote cancer emergence attributable to its instability and disrupted function.
Prostate cancer is the second commonest cancer in men. Black men are 70% more likely than white men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and two to 4 times more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to die from the disease, in response to 2023 data from the American Cancer Society.
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose or sugar, which over time results in serious damage to the guts, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. Black adults are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and twice as more likely to die from diabetes, in response to essentially the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.
Shuck’s lab focuses on the study of how metabolic dysregulation causes diabetes and cancer. She and her colleagues investigate the biochemistry involved when excess sugar damages necessary molecules. To see if the identified dysregulated complexes were linked to race and genetics, the team conducted a small clinical study where they gathered blood samples from 371 men with and without prostate cancer from across the nation. To find out race, they assessed samples for genetic evidence of West African heritage using methods developed by collaborators Rick Kittles, Ph.D., M.S., and Leanne Woods-Burnham, Ph.D., who were at City of Hope when the research was conducted.
Next the researchers, including John Termini, Ph.D, professor within the Department of Cance Biology and Molecular Medicine at City of Hope, checked out 4 biomarkers related to MG and the complexes it forms with DNA, RNA and protein. The biomarkers also included variation in a gene, GLO1, that encodes a protein which detoxifies these complexes.
Surprisingly, the lads of West African descent had fewer of those malignancy-promoting complexes of their blood. Contrary to expectations, a lower level of those complexes was linked to greater risk of metastatic disease. The researchers hypothesize that, in men of West African descent, tumor cells sequester these complexes and spur metastatic processes from inside. These findings didn’t apply to men of European descent. (In technical terms, they hypothesize that MG-AGEs, sRAGE, GLO1 and AGER SNPs could also be used as biomarkers for prostate cancer in Black men and that the gene variation GLO1 may play a task in the buildup of mutations that result in prostate cancer cell growth.)
City of Hope researchers intend to realize a greater understanding of prostate cancer disparities within the hopes of developing a diagnostic test.