WASHINGTON, DC USA (UroToday.com) - Dr. John Lewis provided an overview of the metastatic cascade beginning with tumor intravasation, tumor cell circulation then extravasation into a metastatic site.
His lab uses the chick embryo as a human cancer model for studying tumor cell migration as it permits imaging. He described strategies to generate metastasis-blocking antibodies. An antibody targeting tetraspanin CD151 was identified. It is a transmembrane protein that interacts with integrins and regulates migration. Anti-CD151 antibody 1A5 blocked metastasis in a spontaneous mouse model. It did not affect arrest or proliferation at the secondary site, such as lung tissue. They wanted to determine what step in the metastatic process the antibody inhibited, and used the chick embryo model with imaging to study this. They found that stromal invasion and migration by the tumor cell is inhibited. The inhibition was >95%. They also studied whether CD151 is a potential biomarker for prostate cancer. It has been shown to be a biomarker in other cancers.
Using immunohistochemistry with 151 antibody in radical prostatectomy specimens it was shown to be an independent prognostic marker of metastasis.
Presented by John Lewis, PhD at the Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR)/Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) joint meeting during the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting - May 14 - 19, 2011 - Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC USA
Reported for UroToday by Christopher P. Evans, MD, FACS, Professor and Chairman, Department of Urology, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine.
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