University of Hawaii Cancer Center scientists have discovered how cells move during metastasis, spreading the disease to other parts of the body.

The discovery may help develop cancer drugs, said Joe Ramos, the center’s deputy director.

Ramos led the research, which found that the spread of the disease is driven by mutant proteins known as oncogenes that make cancer cells multiply uncontrollably and promote their movement. Metastasis is responsible for the deaths of 90 percent of cancer patients, UH said.

More than 6,000 residents are diagnosed each year with cancer, the second leading cause of death in Hawaii. The disease kills more than 2,000 people annually and results in more than $500 million in medical spending, according to the state Health Department.

“These new data are very exciting,” Ramos said in a news release. “Blocking cancer invasion and metastasis remains a central challenge in treating patients. We anticipate that this research may lead to new therapeutic opportunities for brain tumors, melanoma and breast cancer, among others.”

The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.