Colon Cancer Symptoms

A Canadian researcher suggests regulating intestinal inflammation may be key to preventing colon cancer
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Dr. Maya Saleh of McGill University and McGill University Health Centre found the protein Caspase-1 plays a crucial role in inflammation regulation and intestinal tissue repair. However, if Caspase-12 — the protein that blocks Caspase-1– is absent, Saleh and colleagues found the inflammation mechanism caused by Caspase-1 can go out of control.

“If Caspase-1 is not eventually blocked, it could lead to appearance of tumors,” Saleh said in statement. “Our challenge at present is to further our research on the action of Caspases in the immune response and also to see whether they play a role in other types of cancer.”

The study, published in the journal Immunity, opens the door to a more targeted treatment strategy for dealing with inflammation, said Saleh.

Caspase-1 inhibitors were developed in the 1990s but inhibition of Caspase-1 seems to cause an intense inflammatory reaction, Saleh said.