 |
|
New biomarker predicts effectiveness of breast cancer drugs
December 08, 2006CINCINNATI-University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified a new way to predict when anti-estrogen drug therapies are inappropriate for patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer.
The team's leader, Erik Knudsen, PhD, says the findings could help physicians more accurately predict which tumors will respond to anti-estrogen therapy and improve long-term survival for breast cancer patients.
"If we know upfront that a patient's cancer will resist traditional anti-estrogen therapies," Knudsen says, "physicians can immediately begin treating the patient with alternative drugs that are more likely to succeed."
The UC researchers found that when a pathway controlling cell growth known as the retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor is disrupted or "shut off," the tumor resists anti-estrogen drugs and the cancer continues to grow in spite of the therapy. They report their findings in the January edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Anti-estrogen drugs such as tamoxifen (Novaldex) are a standard treatment for hormone-dependent breast cancer. They work by blocking the estrogen action, which is required for the proliferation of most breast cancers. Although these drugs are effective in the beginning, says Knudsen, many patients who initially respond to this treatment eventually develop a resistance to it.
"Since evidence shows anti-estrogen drugs will fail in a many patients with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer," says Knudsen, "our research suggests that physicians should examine both estrogen receptor status and RB tumor suppressor status during the initial diagnosis, in order to prescribe the most effective therapy for that specific patient's cancer."
According to the National Cancer Institute, about two-thirds of women with breast cancer have estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, in which tumor growth is regulated by the natural female hormone estrogen. Previous research has shown that estrogen promotes the growth of most types of breast cancer.
"The RB tumor suppressor is a fundamental regulator of cell proliferation in the body, so we can use its actions as a biomarker for how tumors will respond to anti-estrogen therapy," explains Knudsen. "It could become the basis for deciding how patients with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer are treated clinically."
In this one-year laboratory study, Knudsen and his team used a specialized technique to disrupt the RB suppression pathway in breast cancer cells and analyzed the impact on tumor growth using animal models. The researchers then compared their results with a large patient record database to determine if the same phenomenon was occurring in patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Studies supported their hypothesis that RB may be a critical determinant of whether a tumor will respond to anti-estrogen therapy.
Knudsen stresses that comprehensive clinical research is needed before this new method for predicting the success of anti-estrogen drugs is applied in daily patient care.
University of Cincinnati
The UC researchers found that when a pathway controlling cell growth known as the retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor is disrupted or "shut off," the tumor resists anti-estrogen drugs and the cancer continues to grow in spite of the therapy. They report their findings in the January edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Anti-estrogen drugs such as tamoxifen (Novaldex) are a standard treatment for hormone-dependent breast cancer. They work by blocking the estrogen action, which is required for the proliferation of most breast cancers. Although these drugs are effective in the beginning, says Knudsen, many patients who initially respond to this treatment eventually develop a resistance to it.
"Since evidence shows anti-estrogen drugs will fail in a many patients with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer," says Knudsen, "our research suggests that physicians should examine both estrogen receptor status and RB tumor suppressor status during the initial diagnosis, in order to prescribe the most effective therapy for that specific patient's cancer."
According to the National Cancer Institute, about two-thirds of women with breast cancer have estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, in which tumor growth is regulated by the natural female hormone estrogen. Previous research has shown that estrogen promotes the growth of most types of breast cancer.
"The RB tumor suppressor is a fundamental regulator of cell proliferation in the body, so we can use its actions as a biomarker for how tumors will respond to anti-estrogen therapy," explains Knudsen. "It could become the basis for deciding how patients with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer are treated clinically."
In this one-year laboratory study, Knudsen and his team used a specialized technique to disrupt the RB suppression pathway in breast cancer cells and analyzed the impact on tumor growth using animal models. The researchers then compared their results with a large patient record database to determine if the same phenomenon was occurring in patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Studies supported their hypothesis that RB may be a critical determinant of whether a tumor will respond to anti-estrogen therapy.
Knudsen stresses that comprehensive clinical research is needed before this new method for predicting the success of anti-estrogen drugs is applied in daily patient care.
University of Cincinnati
Breast Cancer News and Current Breast Cancer Events RSSM. D. Anderson study finds change in HER2 status after treatment with Herceptin
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that when treated with Herceptin prior to surgery, 50 percent of HER2 positive, breast cancer patients showed no signs of disease at the time of surgery.
M. D. Anderson study finds racial disparities in radiation therapy rates for breast cancer
Black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
New nano device detects immune system cell signaling
Scientists have detected previously unnoticed chemical signals that individual cells in the immune system use to communicate with each other over short distances.
CSHL scientists identify new drug target against virulent type of breast cancer
Tumor cells in a particular subset of breast cancer patients churn out too much of a protein called ErbB2 -- also often called HER2 -- which drives the cells to proliferate unchecked. Patients unlucky enough to be in this group -- about one in four -- have poorer prognoses and clinical outcomes than those who don't.
Dense tissue promotes aggressive cancers
New research may explain why breast cancer tends to be more aggressive in women with denser breast tissue. Breast cancer cells grown in dense, rigid surroundings step up their invasive activities, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators report in the Sept. 9 issue of Current Biology.
Women exposed to negative life events at greater risk of breast cancer: BGU study
Happiness and optimism may play a role against breast cancer while adverse life events can increase the risk of developing the disease.
Hormone replacement therapy improves sleep, sexuality and joint pain in older women
One of the world's longest and largest trials of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has found that post-menopausal women on HRT gain significant improvements in quality of life.
Positive thinking may protect against breast cancer
Feelings of happiness and optimism play a positive role against breast cancer. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Cancer suggests that while staying positive has a protective role, adverse life events such as the loss of a parent or close relative, divorce or the loss of a spouse can increase a woman's risk of developing the disease.
Anti-tumor effects are enhanced by inhibiting 2 pathways rather than 1
Two independent research groups have found that simultaneous inhibition of two signaling pathways resulted in substantially enhanced antitumor effects in mouse models of prostate and breast cancer. In an accompany commentary, Steven Grant, at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Science Center, Richmond, discusses the clinical importance of these studies and highlights some of the questions that still need to be answered.
Why a common treatment for prostate cancer ultimately fails
Some of the drugs given to many men during their fight against prostate cancer can actually spur some cancer cells to grow, researchers have found. The findings were published online this week in a pair of papers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
More Breast Cancer News Articles
 | Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth? by Robert Schwartz Courageous Souls explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we re born for purposes of spiritual growth. The book contains ten true stories of people who planned physical illness, having handicapped children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents. Because very different life... |
 | What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause (TM): The Breakthrough Book on Natural Hormone Balance by John R. Lee, Virginia Hopkins The classic bestseller that has helped nearly a million women discover the answer to menopause is now revised and updated. Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, low sex drive, hair loss, fibroids, and osteoporosis-most women will experience these or other hormone- related problems at some point as they age. In clear, easy-to-understand language, an internationally recognized expert explains the... |
 | Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book:4th Edition 2005 by Susan Love Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book has been considered the bible of breast-care books since it appeared in 1990. In 1995, Love completely updated the book in a 600-page second edition, including new biopsy and screening methods, implants, the pros and cons of hormone therapy, new discoveries in breast-cancer treatment, and many other topics. Every chapter has been rewritten, with the exception of the... |
 | Time Is a River by Mary Alice Monroe With a strong, warm voice that brings the South to life, New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured stories that intimately portray the complex and emotional relationships we share with families, friends, and the natural world. "Every book that Mary Alice Monroe has written has felt like a homecoming to me," writes Pat Conroy, bestselling author of The Prince of... |
 | Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams The only constants in nature are change and death. Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and writer from northern Utah, has seen her share of both. The pages of Refuge resound with the deaths of her mother and grandmother and other women from cancer, the result of the American government's ongoing nuclear-weapons tests in the nearby Nevada desert. You won't find the episode in the standard history... |
 | The Middle Place (Voice) by Kelly Corrigan "The Middle Place is about calling home. Instinctively. Even when all the paperwork -- a marriage license, a notarized deed, two birth certificates, and seven years of tax returns -- clearly indicates you're an adult, but all the same, there you are, clutching the phone and thanking God that you're still somebody's daughter." For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything. At thirty-six, she had a... |
 | Rosen's Breast Pathology by Paul Peter Rosen Written by an internationally recognized expert in diagnostic breast pathology, this gold-standard text and reference is now in its revised, updated, and expanded Third Edition. It provides a comprehensive, extensively illustrated review of the clinical, radiological, pathological, and therapeutic aspects of the entire spectrum of breast diseases. More than 3,000 full-color... |
 | 7 Weeks to Safe Social Drinking: How to Effectively Moderate Your Alcohol Intake by Donna J. Cornett Drink less, crave less and nip your problem drinking in the bud with the easy Drink/Link Moderate Drinking Program in this book! Drink/Link has helped thousands of drinkers worldwide to control drinking and prevent alcoholism since 1988. Over 80% of the drinkers who have completed this program have either cut their drinking in half or significantly reduced it! No meetings, drugs, belief in a... |
 | Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting by Meredith Norton A hilarious and wickedly irreverent look at life with cancerLopsided is not your ordinary cancer memoir. Meredith Norton chronicles every step of her experience, starting with her bizarre symptoms while living in Paris to moving back home to California and living with her compulsive parents and their five television sets. Irreverent and incredibly funny, Norton rails against self-pity and... |
 | Just Get Me Through This!: The Practical Guide to Breast Cancer by Deborah A. Cohen, M.D., Robert M. Gelfand |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |