A way for more aggressive breast cancers to respond to conventional treatment is being studied at the University of Lund, in Sweden. The research was published in the journal Nature Communication and is in its early stages.
The types of breast cancer considered more aggressive are those that do not respond to hormonal treatment, when the growth of the tumor is controlled from the limitation of the action of female hormones.
Discovers
To try to understand breast cancer better, the researchers began to look at the tissues around the tumor to see if there is any relation or communication between the healthy tissues and those affected by the disease. From this analysis on, a molecule that contributes to the growth of breast cancer, PDGF-CC, has been found. It transmits information between the tumor and the tissue around it, making the tumor "resistant" to treatment with hormones, as it changes its sensitivity to hormones.
New medication
The way found for the tumor to respond to hormone therapy was to develop a drug that would prevent the action of PDGF-CC. The researchers produced a biological medicine, which uses living organisms for that purpose. However, it is still in the test phase and needs to undergo a process of research and improvements so that it can begin to be tested in humans.
Source: G1