How does prostate cancer cause secondary tumors?

Researchers at Umeå University (Sweden), in collaboration with researchers from Uppsala (Sweden) and Tokyo (Japan), have provided novel insights into prostate cancer metastasis. Their findings may provide new opportunities for treatment of aggressive prostate cancer. "We can show that one specific amino acid in a signaling molecule plays an important role in mobilizing the cancer cells and in that way increase the risk of metastases," says Professor Maréne Landström (Umeå University). The study investigated TGF-β – a growth factor that regulates how cells grow and specialize. Overproduction of TGF-β has been demonstrated to result in poor prognosis and low survival...