Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

New findings on the origins of different breast cancers could become a major influencer of the direction future cancer research takes.

The new research, published in PLoS Genetics and led by the University of Cambridge, found a biological distinction between breast cancers that depend on hormones and those that do not.

Scientists had previously thought that hormone dependent breast cancers originated from the same biological pathway as hormone independent breast cancers, the first requiring treatment with surgery and anti-hormone drugs, the latter with surgery and chemotherapy.

It provides the strongest evidence yet that the subtypes originate from separate pathways and could guide future research into prevention and treatments for the cancer types as different diseases. Currently there are fewer treatment options for women with hormone independent breast cancer following surgery.

Cancer Research UK’s Dr Paul Pharoah, lead author based at the University of Cambridge, said: “We hope our study will help clarify the biology of breast cancer subtypes and steer future research along two, more distinct paths.”

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK’s director of cancer information, added: “Although the findings won’t have any immediate effects on the treatment of women with the disease, they are important in helping to define the next steps in our research on the causes of this major cancer.”

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form