Scientific breakthrough could prevent breast cancer time bomb'
Scientific breakthroughs have the potential to prevent a breast cancer time bomb. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide and this has been a major concern for many years. In recent years, there have been numerous scientific advancements that are helping to reduce the risk factors associated with breast cancer and even potentially preventing it altogether.
One example of such advancement is genetic testing which can identify certain genes that may be linked to an increased risk of developing certain forms of breast cancer. This allows doctors to better assess individual patients’ risks so they can take preventive measures or provide treatments earlier on before any symptoms appear, thus reducing their chances of getting sick in the first place.
Additionally, research into immunotherapies has shown promise in treating existing cases by using drugs that target specific proteins found on tumour cells without harming healthy tissue around them; these therapies could help prolong life expectancy and improve quality-of-life for those affected by this disease as well as possibly stop its progression altogether if caught early enough.
Finally, lifestyle modifications such as eating healthier diets high in fruits and vegetables while limiting processed foods along with regular exercise routines are also being promoted more than ever before due physical activity helps reduce inflammation throughout our bodies which may otherwise contribute towards tumour growths over time if left unchecked – making prevention through diet & exercise another viable avenue worth exploring when considering how best we might tackle this issue head-on going forward into future generations ahead.
In conclusion, although there is still much work yet needed to be done until we find ourselves able fully eradicate all instances related directly back towards cancers like these ones – current scientific breakthroughs offer us real hope moving forwards; giving us both tangible tools & methods available right now today which when used together properly will help ensure no woman need fear falling victim against what was once thought impossible not too long ago
Researchers have developed a method that could stop breast cancer from reappearing in a patient’s body years or decades after treatment. Patients with the most prevalent type of breast cancer, oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+), are at an increased risk of their disease returning and developing incurable tumours as secondary or metastatic breast cancer, which experts have dubbed a “time bomb.”
Today’s study, which was supported by Breast Cancer Now and was published in the journal Nature Cancer, has revealed how this process takes place in the lungs as a result of molecular changes that take place with ageing.
The results show that dormant cancer cells can grow and transform into secondary breast cancer if a protein found in the lungs, called PDGF-C, increases, which is more likely to occur as we age.
Researchers tested the effects of the drug imatinib on mice with ER+ tumours to see if it would slow the progression of cancer.
The medicine was administered to the mice both before and after the tumours appeared. The study found that the growth of lung cancer was significantly slowed in both groups. We’ve learned how ageing lung tissue can cause these cancer cells to “reawaken” and form tumours, and we’ve also uncovered a potential method to “defuse” these “time bombs,” according to Dr Frances Turrell, postdoctoral training fellow in the Division of Breast Cancer Research at The Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR).In the future, we hope to develop more specialised
therapies that are targeted at the “reawakening” mechanism. “We now plan to better unpick how patients might benefit from the existing drug imatinib,” says the study’s author. The director of research, support, and influence at Breast Cancer Now, Dr Simon Vincent, added: “This exciting finding moves us one step closer to understanding how to prevent or stop the progression of ER+ secondary breast cancer in the lung.
It could prevent the sad news that cancer has spread from reaching thousands of women who are currently living with this “time bomb” in the future. Over 44,000 cases of primary breast cancer, which account for up to 80% of all cases in the UK each year, are ER+.
After receiving an ER+ breast cancer diagnosis in 2021, Swansea resident Rachel Davies, 38, underwent radiotherapy, chemotherapy, a mastectomy, removal of her lymph nodes, and chemotherapy. Three months after finishing treatment, in May 2022, she underwent a scan and learned cancer had spread to her sternum and later her spine. She is now receiving hormone therapy and the targeted cancer medication ribociclib.
The end of therapy has been celebrated by some women, and Mrs Davies said: “This always bothers me because you can never be complacent that it won’t return. It was distressing to learn that the disease had spread when I believed it was all behind me.
