Private MD News

Leukemia virus found in prostate tumors

Category: Prostate

Researchers have linked a virus causing leukemia in animals with the emergence of cancerous tumors in the prostate.

During prostate cancer testing, researchers from the University of Utah found that the Xenotripic murin leukemia virus (XMRV) was present in "20 percent of the least aggressive tumors and over 45 percent of the most aggressive tumors", Dr Ila R. Singh commented.

According to experts, XMRV is a chronic virus which affects human bodies by denying proteins to certain genes, causing them to behave as if they have been mutated. Scientists have dubbed this process The Starved Gene.

The next phase of study will be to determine the way XMRV initially infects the body - a discovery which could prevent many cases of prostate cancer.

The Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease has begun using the Starved Gene discovery to develop an all-natural supplement that eliminates viruses. The supplement, Gene-Eden, targets illnesses like the flu virus, Herepes Simplex Virus, Hepatitis B Virus and Human Papillomavirus.

Doctors say that if these remedies prove effective, vaccines and medications to reduce some cancers, including prostate cancer may be forthcoming.

According to data compiled by the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men. Doctors have recommended prostate cancer testing in all men over 50.