Scientists have identified 618 proteins associated with 19 types of cancer that are detectable more than seven years before a cancer diagnosis. This breakthrough in proteomics may shift the focus from treatment to prevention, enabling early detection and preventative treatment strategies. By honing in on proteins that influence cancer risk and progression, the study aims to develop targeted therapies that could revolutionize cancer treatment.
Two studies funded by Cancer Research UK and conducted by Oxford Population Health have identified blood proteins that may warn individuals of the presence of cancer up to seven years before they are diagnosed. Researchers identified 618 proteins associated with 19 different types of cancer, including 107 proteins from individuals whose blood samples were taken at least seven years before their cancer was diagnosed.
The research team discovered that these proteins are involved in the very early stages of cancer and may have the potential to prevent it.
Researchers believe that some of these proteins could be used to detect cancer at a much earlier stage than is currently possible – in the future, this technology may make it possible to treat cancer at an earlier stage or even prevent it altogether.
Research Methodology and Initial Findings
Cancer Research UK is funding researchers looking for the earliest signs of cancer as part of its long-term strategy to prevent cancer through research. In these studies, the team used a powerful technique called proteomics. Proteomics allows scientists to analyse huge numbers of proteins in a tissue sample at one time, see how they interact with each other and find key differences in proteins between different tissue samples.
In the first study, scientists analysed blood samples from more than 44,000 people taken from the UK Biobank, including more than 4,900 people who had subsequently been diagnosed with cancer.
The research team used proteomics to analyze 1,463 proteins from one blood sample from each person. They compared proteins from people who had been diagnosed with cancer with those who hadn’t, looking for significant differences between them to see which proteins were associated with cancer risk. The team also identified 182 proteins that were changed in the blood three years before a cancer diagnosis.
In the second study, scientists looked at genetic data from more than 300,000 cancer cases to investigate in detail which blood proteins are involved in cancer development and could be targets for new treatments.
Researchers have found 40 proteins in the blood that affect the risk of developing nine types of cancer. Changing these proteins could increase or decrease a person’s chances of developing cancer, but scientists have found that in some cases this could also lead to unexpected side effects.
However, the team stressed that further research is needed to determine what role these proteins play in cancer development, which proteins are most reliable targets for testing, what tests can be developed to detect these proteins in clinical practice, and what drugs can target these proteins.
Expert Opinion and Future Directions
Dr Keren Papier, senior nutritional epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and co-lead author of the first study, said: “To save more lives from cancer, we need to better understand what happens at the earliest stages of the disease. Our data from thousands of people with cancer have revealed some really exciting insights into how proteins in the blood affect cancer risk. We now need to study these proteins in more detail to see which ones could reliably be used for prevention.”
Dr Joshua Atkins, senior genomic epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and co-lead author of the first study, said: “The genes we are born with, and the proteins they make, have a huge influence on how cancer starts and grows. Thanks to the thousands of people who have donated blood samples to UK Biobank, we are now building a more comprehensive picture of how genes influence cancer development over the years.”
Dr Carl Smith-Byrne, senior molecular epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health, lead author of the first paper and first author of the second study, said: “We have predicted how the body will respond to drugs targeting specific proteins, including many of the potential side effects. We have some early indications of proteins that should not be targeted because they have unexpected side effects, before clinical trials are undertaken. This research raises the possibility that we may be able to prevent cancer with targeted drugs – something that was once thought impossible is now much more achievable.”
Professor Ruth Travis, senior molecular epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and lead author on both studies, said: “To prevent cancer, we need to understand what causes the earliest stages of cancer development. These studies are important because they provide many new clues about the causes and biology of different cancers, including insight into what happens years before a cancer is diagnosed. We now have the technology to look at thousands of proteins in thousands of cancer cases and identify which proteins play a role in the development of specific cancers, and which proteins may have common effects across multiple cancer types.”
Dr Ian Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said: “Preventing cancer means looking out for its earliest warning signs – and that means conducting focused, rigorous research to find the molecular signals that need our most attention. This research discovery is an important first step towards delivering preventive therapies that could ultimately give people longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.”
References:
“Identifying proteomic risk factors for cancer using prospective and exome analysis of 1463 circulating proteins and risk of 19 cancers from UK Biobank”, Keren Papier, Joshua R. Atkins, Tammy Y. N. Tong, Kezia Gaitskell, Trishna Desai, Chivzor F. Ogunba, Mahboube Parsaean, Gillian K. Reeves, Ian G. Mills, Tim J. Kee, Carl Smith-Byrne, Ruth C. Travis, 15 May 2024, Nature Communications.
Publication date: 10.1038/s41467-024-48017-6
“Identifying cancer therapeutic targets among 2074 circulating proteins and investigating risk for nine cancer types”, Karl Smith-Byrne, Åsa Hedman, Marios Dimitriou, Trishna Desai, Alexandr V. Sokolov, Helgi B. Schioth, Mine Koprulu, Maik Pietzner, Claudia Langenberg, Joshua Atkins, Ricardo Cortez Penha, James McKay, Paul Brennan, Sirui Zhou, Brent J. Richards, James Yarmolinsky, Richard M. Martin, Joana Borlido, Xinmeng J. Mu, Adam Butterworth, Xia Shen, Jim Wilson, Themistocles L. Assimes, Rayjean J. Hung, Christopher Amos, Mark Purdue, Nathaniel Rothman, Stephen Chanock, Ruth C. Travis, Mattias Johansson, Anders Mälarstig, April 2024 29th, Nature Communications.
Publication date: 10.1038/s41467-024-46834-3
This research was funded by Cancer Research UK.
