Scientists at the Center for Applied Medical Research have established the mechanisms that favor the growth of liver cancer cells. By means of proteome technology they have proven that the absence of the MTAP protein favors both the growth and survival of tumor cells and their resistance to chemotherapy. The results have been published in the scientific journal Molecular Cellular Proteomics.

In some tumors a severe deficiency of the MTAP protein results in a chromosome alteration (chromosome 9). More specifically, in the liver this deficiency can be a factor that triggers the progress of the liver disease and favors the development of liver cancer. As Dr. Fernando Corrales, the director of the Proteomics Platform at CIMA, explained, “In order to confirm this hypothesis we have used technology based on protein analysis and have found changes in both their expression and in the methylation patterns of many of them. In clinical terms, tumors with an absence of MTAP may have worse prognosis”.

These are preliminary results but may be of assistance in developing personalized treatments. “The data suggest that the identification of tumors with this defect will help to select the most suitable therapeutic approach for each patient”, concluded Dr. Corrales.