British scientists have discovered a protein that turns healthy prostate cells into cancer. Stopping the growth of the so-called BMI-1, could protect cells from damage, as well as stop the process of their degeneration into malignancy. The discovery offers hope for treatment for the 35,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK. High levels of BMI-1 are often found in patients with prostate cancer, especially in difficult-to-treat and fast-growing tumors. Normally, the body uses the protein to generate prostate cells in place of the damaged ones. Tests carried out at the University of California showed that the protein also promotes the transformation of healthy cells into cancer. They subsequently multiply and spread. Blocking the protein can prevent the appearance of malignant tumors and slow the progression of the disease that has begun, reports the journal Cell Stem Cell. The disease can be controlled only on the condition that the exact mechanism of occurrence of prostate cancer is established. The scientific community is eagerly awaiting the results of prospective studies into the impact of BMI-1 on this, says Dr Helen Rippon of the Prostate Cancer Charity. The disease is the most common form of cancer among British men and claims the lives of more than 10,000 people a year.