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Early predictor of breast cancer aggressiveness
June 24, 2004Physicians may be able to make early decisions on the best treatment for breast cancer, thanks to research published in Breast Cancer Research today. A gene involved in the adhesion of cells is less active in breast tumors with a poor prognosis than those that are less aggressive, researchers found.
Measuring the activity of the ALCAM gene in primary breast tumors could give physicians advanced warning about the likely clinical outcome of the disease. This should help them decide whether to prescribe a more aggressive treatment regimen, such as chemotherapy, much earlier in the diagnostic process.
Dr Judy King and colleagues, from University of South Alabama and University of Wales College of Medicine, compared the expression of the gene for the Activated Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule (ALCAM) in normal breast tissue and tissue samples from primary breast tumors. To do this they counted the number of mRNA transcripts of the ALCAM gene in the different samples.
The researchers found that the ALCAM gene was significantly less active in higher-grade tumors compared to lower-grade tumors, and in tumors with a worse prognosis compared to those with a better prognosis.
"Tumors from patients who died of breast cancer had significantly lower levels of ALCAM transcripts than those with primary tumors but no metastatic disease or local recurrence," write the researchers.
They continue: "The data clearly suggest that decreased ALCAM expression in the primary tumor is of clinical significance in breast cancer, and that reduced expression indicates a more aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis."
They suggest that quantitative PCR, to measure the number of ALCAM transcripts in a tissue sample from a primary breast tumor, could be used to identify these more aggressive tumors at an early stage.
As ALCAM is involved in keeping cells together in a clump, the researchers hypothesize that reduced expression of the gene might allow the tumor cells to separate from one another. This would allow cells to enter the circulation and promote the formation of secondary tumors, which makes the cancer harder to treat.
BioMed Central Limited
The researchers found that the ALCAM gene was significantly less active in higher-grade tumors compared to lower-grade tumors, and in tumors with a worse prognosis compared to those with a better prognosis.
"Tumors from patients who died of breast cancer had significantly lower levels of ALCAM transcripts than those with primary tumors but no metastatic disease or local recurrence," write the researchers.
They continue: "The data clearly suggest that decreased ALCAM expression in the primary tumor is of clinical significance in breast cancer, and that reduced expression indicates a more aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis."
They suggest that quantitative PCR, to measure the number of ALCAM transcripts in a tissue sample from a primary breast tumor, could be used to identify these more aggressive tumors at an early stage.
As ALCAM is involved in keeping cells together in a clump, the researchers hypothesize that reduced expression of the gene might allow the tumor cells to separate from one another. This would allow cells to enter the circulation and promote the formation of secondary tumors, which makes the cancer harder to treat.
BioMed Central Limited
Breast Cancer Current Events and Breast Cancer News RSSMenopause-cardiology consensus statement on cardiovascular disease and on HRT
A menopause-cardiology consensus statement has called for direct action to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in menopausal women. The statement also concludes that there is little evidence of increased CVD risk in taking HRT.
Researchers Identify Role of Gene in Tumor Development, Growth and Progression
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis.
UCLA researchers create 'fly paper' to capture circulating cancer cells
Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor.
Fertility procedures need not delay breast cancer treatment for younger women
A new study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that breast cancer patients under 40 years old who undergo fertility preservation do not face a significant delay in the treatment of their disease when their care is coordinated in a timely fashion.
Coffee break: Compound brewing new research in colon, breast cancer
A compound in coffee has been found to be estrogenic in studies by Texas AgriLife Research scientists.
Drugs to treat anemia in cancer patients linked to thromboembolism
Medications frequently given to cancer patients to reduce their risk of anemia are associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, according to new research led by Dawn Hershman, M.D, M.S., co-director of the breast cancer program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.
Discovery in worms by Queen's researchers points to more targeted cancer treatment
Researchers at Queen's University have found a link between two genes involved in cancer formation in humans, by examining the genes in worms. The groundbreaking discovery provides a foundation for how tumor-forming genes interact, and may offer a drug target for cancer treatment.
FDA approved leukemia drugs shows promise in ovarian cancer cells
The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.
Carnegie Mellon researchers link health-care debate to risk of dying in US and Europe
The current health care debate in the United States is complicated. Trade-offs between heath care expenditures, lifestyle choices and life expectancy have been suggested but seldom clearly demonstrated.
Scientists uncover new key to the puzzle of hormone therapy and breast cancer
The use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has decreased over time in the United States, which researchers suggest may play a key role in the declining rate of atypical ductal hyperplasia, a known risk factor for breast cancer.
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