Therapeutic target to stop the metastasis of colon cancer

Angélica Figueroa

Fundación Profesor Novoa Santos, Spain

Nearly 10 million people died of cancer in 2020, making this disease one of the leading causes of death worldwide. About 90 % of these deaths were caused by metastasis, which is when the original tumor spreads to other parts of the body.

To date, therapeutic options targeting metastasis have been very limited. For this reason, cancer is often considered incurable by the time it has reached the metastatic stage. A current challenge in oncology is to identify new drugs that halt metastasis, thus reducing cancer mortality.

The researchers have identified a promising target that is highly expressed in tumor cells as they evolve into metastatic cells. They are currently developing a drug that inhibits metastasis in colon cancer, but given the mechanism of action, it may be repositioned to other types of carcinomas. The development of new anti-metastatic treatment will influence precision oncology and benefit cancer patients.

€300,000