Scientists identified 618 proteins linked to 19 types of cancer, detectable seven years before cancer diagnosis. This advance in proteomics could enable earlier detection and preventive treatment strategies, thereby shifting the focus from treatment to prevention. With more than 300,000 cancer cases analyzed, the research aims to develop targeted therapies that could revolutionize cancer care by focusing on proteins that influence cancer risk and development.
Two studies funded by Cancer Research UK and carried out by Oxford Population Health have identified blood proteins that can alert people to the presence of cancer up to seven years before diagnosis. The researchers identified 618 proteins associated with 19 different types of cancer, including 107 proteins in individuals whose blood samples were taken at least seven years before their cancer diagnosis.
The team found that these proteins could be involved in the early stages of cancer, where it could be prevented.
They believe that some of these proteins could be used to detect cancer much earlier than is currently possible. In the future, this could make it possible to treat the disease at a much earlier stage, or even prevent it.
Study methodology and first results
Cancer Research UK funds researchers to look for early 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 analyze large numbers of proteins in tissue samples at one time, see how they interact with each other, and detect any significant differences in proteins between different tissue samples.
In the first study, scientists analyzed blood samples from the UK Biobank taken from more than 44,000 people, including more than 4,900 people who were subsequently diagnosed with cancer.
Using proteomics, the team analyzed a set of 1,463 proteins from a single blood sample from each person. They compared proteins from people who had and had not been diagnosed with cancer to look for important differences between them and discover which ones were linked to cancer risk. The scientists also identified 182 proteins that differed in the blood three years before the cancer diagnosis.
In the second study, scientists examined genetic data from more than 300,000 cancer cases to comprehensively determine which blood proteins were involved in cancer development and could be targeted by new treatments.
Researchers have discovered 40 proteins in the blood that influence the risk of contracting 9 different types of cancer. Although changing these proteins can increase or decrease cancer risks, scientists have also found that in some cases it can cause unintended side effects.
However, the team stressed that they will need to conduct further research to discover the exact role these proteins play in the development of cancer, which proteins are most reliable to test for, what tests could be developed to detect proteins in the clinic and what drugs could target these proteins.
Expert opinions and future directions
Dr Keren Papier, senior nutritional epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and co-first author of the first study, said: “To save more lives from cancer, we need to better understand what happens in the early stages of the disease. Data collected from thousands of people with cancer has revealed some very interesting insights into how proteins in our blood can affect our cancer risk. We now need to study these proteins in depth to see which ones could be reliably used for prevention.
Dr Joshua Atkins, senior genomic epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and co-first author of the first study, said: “The genes we are born with and the proteins that come from them have a huge influence on how cancer grows and develops. Thanks to the thousands of people who have donated blood samples to the UK BioBank, we are building a much more complete picture of how genes influence the development of cancer over many years.
Dr Karl Smith-Byrne, senior molecular epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and lead author of the first paper and first author of the second study, said: “We predicted how the body might respond to drugs that target specific proteins, including including many proteins. potential side effects. Before any clinical trial, we have early indications of which proteins we might avoid targeting due to unintended side effects. This research brings us closer to the possibility of preventing cancer with targeted drugs – something once considered impossible but now much more achievable.
Professor Ruth Travis, senior molecular epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and lead author of both studies, said: “To be able to prevent cancer, we need to understand the factors that determine the early stages of its development. These studies are important because they provide many new clues about the causes and biology of several cancers, including information about what happens years before a cancer is diagnosed. We now have technology that can examine thousands of proteins in thousands of cancer cases, identifying which proteins play a role in the development of specific cancers and which might have effects common to multiple cancer types.
Executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, Dr Iain Foulkes, said: “Preventing cancer means being alert to the early warning signs of disease. This requires intensive and careful research to find the molecular signals to which we should pay the most attention. The findings from this research are the crucial first step towards providing preventative therapies, which are the ultimate path to giving people longer and better lives, without fear of cancer.
The references:
“Identifying proteomic risk factors for cancer using prospective and exomic analyzes of 1463 circulating proteins and the risk of 19 cancers in the UK Biobank” by Keren Papier, Joshua R. Atkins, Tammy YN Tong, Kezia Gaitskell, Trishna Desai, Chibuzor F. Ogamba, Mahboubeh Parsaeian, Gillian K. Reeves, Ian G. Mills, Tim J. Key, Karl Smith-Byrne and Ruth C. Travis, May 15, 2024,
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