Bulletin No. 1, 2009

Research   43 Research Discovery in Cancer Cell Death C UHK scientists revealed for the first time that cancer cells can reverse a chemical-induced dying process, which is generally assumed to irrevocably commit cells to die, in a study published in the British Journal of Cancer (in print on 7 January 2009). Led by Prof. Fung Ming-chiu, the author and professor in the Department of Biology, the research team discovered that the cancer cells recovered once chemicals to induce the cells’ suicide process were removed, even after the cells had passed normal critical checkpoints. The cancer cells then regained their shape, function and continued to divide. Cells failed to recover only after the nucleus had started to disintegrate––an event that has been known to take place at the end of the cell suicide process. This finding reveals an unexpected escape tactic which cancer cells could use to survive chemotherapy. Bowel Cancer Screening Finds Cases with No Symptoms T he Institute of Digestive Disease of the Faculty of Medicine launched the five-year ‘Bowel Cancer in Hong Kong: Education, Promotion, and Screening’ project with a generous donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in 2008. The programme allows 10,000 asymptomatic individuals aged over 50 to undergo a free bowel cancer screening test. Subsequent to the establishment of the programme, the CUHK Jockey Club Bowel Cancer Education Centre was set up. The centre released the preliminary results of the first 1,037 participants under its screening programme on 3 February 2009. Between May and August 2008, 1,037 qualified participants were invited to undergo bowel screening. Four cases of colorectal cancer ( 0.4%) , 27 cases of advanced neoplasm (2.6%) and 151 cases of adenoma (14.6%) were identified. All were successfully treated. There was no complication arising from the screening procedure for most of the cases.