London, Mar 26 : Sarcosine, an N-methyl derivative of the amino acid glycine, can distinguish between slow-growing prostate cancers and those likely to spread and become lethal, playing a major role in cancer detection, according to scientists at the University of Michigan.
Led by Dr. Arun Sreekumar, the study not only proves that sarcosine is a marker of cancer aggressiveness, but also that it is highly associated with tumour development as well.
For the study, the researchers looked at more than 1,000 small molecules in tissues associated with prostate cancer.