Dr Margaret Frame from The Cancer Research Campaign's Beatson Institute in Glasgow will today (Tue 13 Feb) reveal findings which could pave the way for new approaches to the treatment of bowel cancer.

This is just one of the 18 presentations from leading UK Campaign-funded cancer experts that are featuring as part of the charity's first National Cancer Symposium this week (11-14 Feb).

Dr Margaret Frame's team are looking at how certain genes influence the spread of cancer cells in bowel cancer.

This is particularly important because bowel cancer progresses in clear stages associated with the spread of the cancer cells into the surrounding gut wall. Before it has spread it is curable by surgery and therefore understanding what makes the cancer cells move out from the primary tumour could lead to ways of preventing the cancer spreading.

The Beatson team's recent research has found that in normal cells two proteins work together to hold cells in their proper place in body tissues but do not do so in cancer cells.

The particular proteins they are studying are Src (the product of the first cancer gene ever discovered some considerable time ago) and FAK (focal adhesion kinase), a more recently identified protein that is faulty in bowel cancer.

When these proteins are faulty, as they are in bowel cancer, cells ignore normal "positioning" and can spread more rapidly.

The Beatson team's recent research has found that these proteins normally work together to hold cells in their proper places in body tissues.

Dr Margaret Frame says, "It is hoped that by understanding the changes brought about by faulty Src and FAK genes and the proteins that they specify it will be possible to devise ways of stopping tumour development before it has spread."

"Current treatments for bowel cancer are less effective than we would like, but if it can be stopped in the early stages before it has spread, this would be a major advantage," she adds.

The focus of the research at the moment is bowel cancer because this is a big problem in Scotland (and UK wide) and there is a need to develop new and better treatments. However this work could also help in the treatment of other cancers.

Professor Gordon McVie, Director General of The Cancer Research Campaign says, "We are excited about this work and we hope that, by working with pharmaceutical companies to test new approaches to inhibiting these faulty proteins, it will eventually result in fewer deaths from bowel cancer."

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

Issued by University of Glasgow press offcie on behalf of CRC

Media inquiries please to The Cancer Research Campaign?s press office on 0207 487 3768 or (m) 0836 229208 or (m) 0788 7678407.

Please note that Dr Frame is available today at these numbers and not at the University of Glasgow

* Every year 31,000 people, mostly over the age of 40, are diagnosed with Bowel cancer.

* Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in Scotland and the UK with around 50 people dying from the disease every day.

* Around 500 researchers have converged on Manchester for The Cancer Research Campaign?s first National Cancer Symposium from Feb 11-14 2001.

* The Symposium programme also features written presentations from a further 120 Campaign researchers as well as guest lectures from six eminent authorities on the disease, including four experts from the US - and the England?s own Cancer Tsar Prof Mike Richards.

First published: 13 February 2001