NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A genetic mutation present in the majority of African Americans that protects against malaria may contribute to the increased incidence of prostate cancer, as well as the higher death rate from the disease in this population. That’s according to research conducted in mice, presented Monday at the American Society of Investigative Pathology sessions of Experimental Biology 2005 in San Diego.
“In malaria-endemic areas such as West Africa, it was found that most of the population had a genetic mutation in the Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines, or DARC receptor, that prevented the expression of the DARC receptor on red blood cells -- kind of a genetic protective mechanism against malarial infection,” Dr. Alex B. Lentsch explained in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
There is also evidence that this same receptor binds to and removes some angiogenic chemokines from tumors, thwarting their ability to develop new blood vessels, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researcher added.
Using mice genetically engineered to spontaneously develop prostate cancer, Dr. Lentsch and colleagues compared the growth and size of prostate tumors in animals with or without DARC.
Mice with or without DARC developed tumors at roughly the same time, which is not surprising, Dr. Lentsch said, since chemokines have not been linked to the formation of tumors. However, once the tumors were present, they grew significantly faster in the mice without DARC. “Excised tumors from mice lacking DARC compared to wild-type mice were dramatically bigger in volume and mass,” he said.
Supporting the chemokine-clearing activity of DARC, the researchers also found that concentrations of angiogenic chemokines were significantly higher in tumors from mice lacking DARC.
“These data clearly suggest a role for DARC in more aggressive prostate cancer tumor growth in African-Americans, primarily because they do not have the receptor,” Dr. Lentsch said. “This suggests that a simple blood test for the presence or absence of DARC on red blood cells could give us some information as to whether they are more likely to have aggressive tumor growth,” he added.
The study was funded by the United States Army Medical and Material Command.
MeSH Headings:Congresses: Health Care Economics and Organizations: Organizations: Pathologic Processes: Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms: Disease Progression: Disease Attributes: Diseases: Health CareCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
