A new study suggests that restoring a gene often silenced in lung cancer causes the cells to self-destruct. The findings could lead to a new strategy for treating the disease. The research focused on a gene known as WWOX, which is lost or silenced in a large majority of lung cancers, and in cancers of the breast, ovary, prostate, bladder, esophagus and pancreas. The work was led by scientists at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. The study showed that both in the laboratory and in animal experiments, restoring the missing or silenced WWOX gene can slow or stop the cells’ growth. The study also showed that the reactivated gene is highly effective in stopping the growth of human lung tumors that have been transplanted into mice. The findings are published online in the Oct. 13 Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
