U.S. scientists said the discovery of a virus called XMRV might lead to earlier detection and possible new treatments for prostate cancer. Cleveland Clinic researchers linked a mutated gene with the virus that's associated with cancerous tumor growth, UPI reported. The gene, commonly referred to as RNASEL, helps the body fight viral infections. Researchers theorize men who develop prostate cancer might have a mutant RNASEL gene that was not able to destroy a cancer-causing virus. Dr. Eric Klein and Robert Silverman tested blood samples from men with prostate cancer who were having their prostates removed at the Cleveland Clinic. The men with prostate cancer were also tested to determine whether the RNASEL gene was mutated. As predicted, there was an association between a particular virus and the mutated RNASEL gene. The finding, reached in collaboration with scientists at the University of California-San Francisco, doesn't clarify whether the XMRV virus causes cancer but that should be determined within five years, said Silverman. The researchers said if XMRV is proven to cause prostate cancer, it might lead to a preventive vaccine or anti-viral drug treatment as well as earlier diagnoses.
