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Scientists have discovered why breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs may "wake up" following years of sleep, forming incurable secondary tumors. Their research reveals the mechanism that triggers this breast cancer "time bomb"—and suggests a strategy to defuse it. Patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer—the most common type—have a continued risk of their cancer recurring in another part of their body for many years or even decades after their original diagnosis and treatment. When breast cancer cells spread from the first cancer in the breast to other parts of the body it is called secondary...

A new study has found that in women with BRCA gene mutations, having a high body mass index (BMI) is linked to more DNA damage in breast cells. Specifically, the study discovered that elevated BMI was associated with more damage to epithelium tissue DNA. Priya Bhardwaj, Ph.D. Candidate and her team worked with cultured healthy breast tissues collected from individuals with mutated BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The samples were categorized as coming from a donor of lower weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2, n = 43) or overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, n = 26). BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are protecting...

Compared to other common supplemental screening methods, breast MRI was superior at detecting breast cancer in women with dense breasts, according to a study. Roughly 47% of women have dense breasts, which is an independent risk factor of breast cancer. While screening mammography effectively detects up to 98% of cancer in fatty breasts, breast cancer is more easily missed in dense breasts. "Breast cancer masses appear white on a mammogram, and dense tissue also appears white, which makes finding breast cancers within dense breast tissue harder for radiologists," said Vivianne Freitas, M.D., M.Sc. The four most common supplemental imaging tests...

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova said Monday she has been diagnosed with both Stage 1 throat cancer and breast cancer. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova said Monday she has been diagnosed with both throat cancer and breast cancer. “This double whammy is serious but still fixable,” said the 66-year-old in a statement. “I’m hoping for a favorable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all have I got.” Navratilova’s fighting spirit is well-documented; she won a total of 59 Grand Slam titles -- in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. And she’s already beaten cancer once before. After...

Researchers are learning more about ways to prevent serious side effects from chemotherapy used to treat breast cancer patients. The work led by Xi Wu, Ph.D. was recently published. Anthracyclines belong to a class of chemotherapy agents used to treat a variety of cancers and remain an important part of therapy for patients with high-risk breast cancer. While effective in improving cure rates, they can also cause serious heart damage, including heart failure, which is often irreversible. "This is of crucial clinical importance for breast cancer patients as there are no proven strategies for prevention or interventions for cardiotoxicity," said...

A short, simple and safe drug treatment developed at Tel Aviv University reduced the risk of the spread of cancer metastases after surgery to remove the primary tumor. The research was led by Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu. The risk of metastases after tumor removal is estimated at 35% among colon cancer patients. Prof. Ben-Eliyahu explains, "The stress and inflammation reactions and anxiety of cancer recurring—all have an adverse effect on the body's ability to fight metastatic processes." "The good news is that we know how to treat both stress and inflammation using off-the-shelf medications." The researchers gave 34 colon cancer patients...

While diabetes is already associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, a new study indicates that presence of the disease may increase tumor growth and stiffness. Researchers also found that diabetes treatments could reduce the tumor growth and stiffness to levels comparable with non-diabetic ones. The study sheds light on a previously unknown biomechanical mechanism in which diabetic hyperglycemia acts on the extracellular matrix—a molecular network that promotes the growth of cells—to accelerate tumor growth and stiffness in breast cancer. The research offers potential evidence for future therapies targeted to diabetic cancer patients.

A treatment may significantly enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, reducing the risk for lung metastasis following chemo from 52% to only 6%. The study identified the mechanism that generates a cancer-promoting inflammatory environment in response to chemotherapy. Moreover, the researchers found that by adding an anti-inflammatory agent to the chemotherapy, metastasis can be prevented. To this end, the researchers created an animal model for breast cancer metastasis. The animals received the same treatment as human patients: surgical removal of the primary tumor, then chemotherapy, followed by monitoring to detect metastatic relapse as early as possible. The...

Women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer often can choose to have a lumpectomy, which removes only cancerous tissue and a thin margin of surrounding healthy cells instead of the entire breast. Current cancer guidelines for most women under 65 recommend following lumpectomy with radiation therapy, which targets stray cancer cells that might otherwise cause breast cancer to recur or spread to other parts of the body. A new study could eventually expand an option for skipping radiation to some women as young as 55. The new evidence suggests that younger women with tumor features similar to those described above might...

Giving standard chemotherapy drugs in a specific sequence for some types of metastatic breast cancer can help reduce overall costs and improve the value of care while preserving quality of life. Currently, there are many chemotherapy choices to treat metastatic breast cancer. Oncologists have some preferences of which drugs to use early in treatment, but there is little clear evidence on the best order in which to give the drugs. The purpose of the study was to test whether putting the drugs in one sequence compared to another could keep the patient on treatment for similar times while decreasing their...

Astaxanthin (ASX) is a marine-based pigment in plants that has many different potential functions. ASX is an antioxidant more potent than many other antioxidants. Antioxidants have anti-inflammatory and oxidative stress-reducing properties to potentially reduce the incidence of cancer or inhibit the expansion of tumor cells. We found that application of ASX significantly reduced proliferation rates and inhibited breast cancer cell migration compared to control normal breast epithelial cells. The accessory marine-based plant pigment astaxanthin (ASX) has many different potential functions. ASX is a ketocarotenoid: carotenoids modulate cancer, reproduction, atherosclerosis, immunity, and age-related macular degeneration. Since ASX has anti-inflammatory and oxidative...

Worldwide, breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer. Pharmacologically targeting cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4 & 6) has proven to be a successful therapeutic approach in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Abemaciclib is the first FDA-approved CDK4 & 6 inhibitor (CDK4 & 6i) approved for the adjuvant treatment of HR+, HER2–, node-positive early breast cancer (EBC) at high risk of recurrence and a Ki-67 score ≥20%. Differences have been observed in both efficacy and severity of neutropenia among the available CDK4 & 6i, generating interest in a possible mechanistic explanation. In their study published in...

Recently, a tiny group of people with rectal cancer saw their disease vanish after experimental treatment. Now, in another breakthrough, a new compound synthesized by Dr. Jung-Mo Ahn, a University of Texas at Dallas researcher, has been found to kill a broad spectrum of hard-to-treat cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer, leaving healthy cells unscathed. He exploited a weakness in cells that were hitherto not targeted by the other drugs. The study, which was carried out in isolated cells, both in human cancer tissue and in human cancers grown in mice, was published in the journal Nature Cancer. Only a few...

Researchers have identified a combination therapy for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that results in durable tumor regression in an animal model of the condition. The combination therapy attacked the tumor on two fronts. On one side, the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide eliminated tumor cells, while on the other front, another drug inhibited tumor-associated cells called macrophages, which block the body's immune response against the tumor. This two-front strategy effectively treated several highly aggressive TNBC primary tumors and metastasis. The team had previously shown in animal models that although treating the tumors with cyclophosphamide eliminated the cancer initially, the disease came...

Cardamonin—a natural compound found cardamom —could have therapeutic potential for triple-negative breast cancer, according to a new study using human cancer cells. The findings also show the compound targets a gene that helps cancer cells elude the immune system. About 10-15% of breast cancers are triple-negative, which means they don't have receptors for estrogen or progesterone and don't make excess amounts of a protein called HER2. These tumors are difficult to treat because they don't respond to the hormone-based therapies used for other types of breast cancer. They also tend to be more aggressive and have a higher mortality rate...

Woman with breast cancer had metastatic lesions in chest wall (top, left) and liver (bottom, left). After receiving the immunotherapy, tumors shrank completely. Recent scans (R) show she is cancer free more than 5 years later. Credit: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) ========================================================================================== An experimental form of immunotherapy that uses an individual’s own tumor-fighting immune cells could potentially be used to treat people with metastatic breast cancer, according to results from an ongoing clinical trial led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Center for Cancer Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. Many people with metastatic breast...

A potential vaccine that would prevent the most deadly and aggressive type of breast cancer — triple-negative breast cancer — is undergoing testing. The key protein for the vaccine, which would be a "holy grail" of cancer treatment, was found through "a matter of luck and tenacity in going through databases and looking for proteins," Dr. Vincent Tuohy said, almost like finding a needle in a haystack. The vaccine works by jumpstarting the immune system and attacking any tumors that contain a specific protein that should not be present unless a woman is lactating. "Once we've established that we can...

Florida’s top health official was asked to leave a meeting after refusing to wear a mask at the office of a state senator who told him she had a serious medical condition, officials have confirmed. […] … (Democratic state Sen. Tina) Polsky told The Associated Press about the tense exchange with state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo that was first reported by the news site Florida Politics. She said Ladapo and two aides were offered masks and asked to wear them when they arrived for the Wednesday meeting. She did not tell him she had breast cancer, but said she had...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday announced his wife, Casey, is battling breast cancer, triggering a wave of leftist trolls to unleash hateful wishes and snarky remarks in response to the news. “I am saddened to report that Florida’s esteemed First Lady and my beloved wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer,” DeSantis said in a statement on Monday. “As the mother of three young children, Casey is the centerpiece of our family and has made an impact on the lives of countless Floridians through her initiatives as First Lady,” he continued. “As she faces the most difficult test...

EXCLUSIVE - Casey DeSantis, the wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. "I am saddened to report that Florida’s esteemed First Lady and my beloved wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer," the first term Republican governor said in a statement shared first with Fox News on Monday. "As the mother of three young children, Casey is the centerpiece of our family and has made an impact on the lives of countless Floridians through her initiatives as First Lady. As she faces the most difficult test of her life, she will have not only...