Gene therapy may prevent breast cancer recurrence and improve chemotherapy effectiveness
Millions of breast cancer patients are given a prescription to buy Tamoxifen in order to help increase their odds of slowing the disease's progression.
Millions of breast cancer patients are given a prescription to buy Tamoxifen in order to help increase their odds of slowing the disease's progression. Research continues to unveil new therapeutic strategies for this devastating condition. Recently, a group of scientists from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported that gene therapy delivered directly to tumor cells causes them to self-destruct, which lowers the likelihood of recurrence and boosts the efficacy of chemotherapy.
Lead author Mien-Chie Hung and colleagues found that the genetic mutation BikDD reduced treatment resistance in breast cancer initiating cells (BCICs). This was accomplished due to the inhibition of three proteins in the Bcl-2 family, increasing the effectiveness of lapatinib, a common chemotherapy drug.
"There are no effective methods to target BCICs, and they're urgently needed, especially for relapsed breast cancer patients," Hung explained. "This research suggests a potential therapeutic approach to breast cancer stem cells that will minimize recurrence and drug resistance."
The researchers are working to move this gene therapy in the first phase of clinical testing in order to determine its safety for breast cancer patients.
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