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KBIA’s Health & Wealth Desk covers the economy and health of rural and underserved communities in Missouri and beyond. The team produces a weekly radio segment, as well as in-depth features and regular blog posts. The reporting desk is funded by a grant from the University of Missouri, and the Missouri Foundation for Health.Contact the Health & Wealth desk.

MU Researcher Finds Cancer Suppressing Gene May Help the Spread of Colorectal Cancer

MU School of Medicine
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KBIA

Sprouty2, which is known as a tumor suppressor gene, is a human gene that previous research has shown protects against the metastasis or spread of breast, prostate and liver cancers.

But Sharad Khare, an associate professor of research in the MU School of Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, alongside his research team has shown in a recently published article that this gene may not be helping the body in some colorectal cancer cases.

“What we've found is in colorectal cancer, in some scenarios, it may help a tumor to grow and move to other parts of the body,” Khare said. “And again, this could be a very important research - that we are not targeting this molecule because it is thought to be a tumor suppressor gene.”

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death among US men and women.

Khare added that this “unexpected discovery” may only be happening in some colorectal cancer cases, but further study of this gene in other cancer models or types is merited.

“It will be a set of patients which will show this problem and some patients will not show this problem,” Khare said.

And while they are the first research team to reach this conclusion, Khare said this discovery could perhaps help lead to more personalized cancer treatments for individuals. 

“That’s why the new idea of personalized medicine is coming,” Khare said. “That you can't treat every patient with one drug. You have to find different drugs for different patients and that's the future of cancer treatment.”

Khare said the research group will next look at how the gene functions in different cancer models and in human biopsies.

The full article can be found in the cancer research journal Oncogene

Rebecca Smith is an award-winning reporter and producer for the KBIA Health & Wealth Desk. Born and raised outside of Rolla, Missouri, she has a passion for diving into often overlooked issues that affect the rural populations of her state – especially stories that broaden people’s perception of “rural” life.