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Specific treatments for each type of sarcoma

November 29, 2002

The new molecular techniques allow designing specific treatments for a great number of sarcomas, according to Dr. Enrique de Alava, expert of the department of Pathologic Anatomy of the University Clinic of the University of Navarre.

The molecular knowledge has become a very useful tool to study several diseases. In particular, it provides complementary tools for the diagnosis, allows determining the prognosis of sarcomas and also understanding better the tumour process in general.

One of the fields in which the techniques of molecular biology are applied is the diagnosis of sarcomas. This term includes several types of tumours, many of which have very specific genetic alterations that allow classifying tumours and determine their prognosis. The genetic alterations of sarcomas that provide more information are called translocations.

The prognosis of tumours can be determined by the study of several clinical data, such as size and location. However, there are some molecular alterations that can foresee the behaviour of some tumours that do not show differences at first sight.

Treatment
Nowadays, in order to design an efficient treatment of sarcoma it is necessary to combine the surgery techniques with radio and chemotherapy. The chemotherapy, apart from being an efficient therapy to fight against tumour cells, also acts in healthy cells. One of the most important applications of molecular biology is that it is possible to design drugs that are specific against target molecules. The first application has been the development of a new drug, Gleevec or STI 571, which acts against the c-Kit molecule, involved in the sarcoma of the gastrointestinal system. At the present, researchers of the University Clinic of Navarre are extending their studies to other types of sarcomas, such as Ewing's sarcoma, so that they can know if they express this molecule and if they can be sensitive to receive this drug.

The objective of the techniques of Molecular Pathology is to understand the data obtained from the histological exam to be able to distinguish subtypes of tumours that cannot be distinguished with the conventional techniques.

Research
According to Enrique de Alava, the progress in Molecular Pathology involves the development of techniques that allow studying the expression of multiple genes or proteins at the same time.

The laboratory of the Paediatrics of the University of Navarre makes a significant contribution to the study of a specific type of sarcoma, the paediatric osteosarcoma, very aggressive tumour that is usually diagnosed in adolescence. A research team has recently started a project of molecular research of the paediatric osteosarcoma at large level. In collaboration with Dr. Fernando Lecanda, an expert of the department of Histology and Pathologic Anatomy, experts in various subjects have been gathered to cover all areas associated with the disease: collection of samples, analyses of chromosomes, osseous cultivation, etc. During the study, they will compare healthy bones with pathologic bones, and if there is any, with the metastasis of tumour. That way they pretend to know the process by which the osseous cell becomes a tumour.

The interest of the researchers is to find some molecular markers that will enable to diagnose or know the prognosis of osseous tumour.

Elhuyar Fundazioa