Indian-US team identifies genetic target for treating colorectal cancer

Kolkata, Sep 7: Making strides in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), the third most common cancer in the world, a team of researchers from India and the US has identified a genetic target for potential drug therapy against the dreaded disease. Also called colon, rectal or bowel cancer, CRC is the third most common cancer in men and the second in women worldwide. "We have reported that the SPINK 1 gene is a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer (CRC)," Bushra Ateeq, lead author of the study and assistant professor, department of biological sciences and bioengineering at IIT-Kanpur, told IANS on the phone. "In the light of increasing resistance to therapies (such as the anti-EGFR therapy) against CRC, we feel that targeting SPINK1 protein may be a tenable treatment option in CRC patients," Ateeq said. According to the US National Institute of Health (NIH), about 132,700 new CRC cases are likely to be diagnosed this year, and 49,700 patients are estimated to succumb in the US alone.