Tumor Marker for Esophageal and Gastric Cancer

A study has shown that a protein expressed in intestinal cells can be used as a specific and sensitive marker for gastric and esophageal cancer. The study was published in the August 2002 issue of Cancer Epidemiology.

Researchers demonstrated that when cells lining the esophagus and stomach begin the process of transformation to cancer, or metaplasia, they assume the molecular characteristics of intestinal cells and express a protein called guanylyl cyclase-C (GC-C). Using a molecular testing technique, they detected GC-C in tumors from 100% of the esophageal cancer patients and 89% of the gastric cancer patients in the study.

"We've known for some time that GC-C could be used for diagnostic and therapeutic applications for colorectal cancer,” said Scott A. Waldman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, PA, USA) who led the study. "Now we are excited that the results shown in this preliminary study confirm the presence of GC-C in gastric and esophageal metaplasia.”

Diagnostic blood and lymph node tests for GC-C are being developed by Targeted Diagnostics & Therapeutics, Inc. (TDT, West Chester, PA, USA). TDT says its tests are so sensitive they can detect one colorectal cancer cell in 10 million normal cells. The company has also established clinical data demonstrating that GC-C binds to a bacterial protein called the heat-stable enterotoxin (ST), which can be employed as a highly specific probe for the receptor, permitting its exploitation for the targeted delivery of imaging or chemotherapy agents directly to metastatic cancer cells. TDT has granted Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. an exclusive worldwide license to use TDT's technology to develop human cancer therapies targeting GC-C and utilizing the ST ligand to deliver them.






Related Links:
Targeted Diagnostics & Therapeutics
Thomas Jeff. Univ.