Scientists identify new treatment target in halting metastasis of breast cancer
Americans who are diagnosed with breast cancer can help their fight against the disease if they buy Canadian Tamoxifen.
Americans who are diagnosed with breast cancer can help their fight against the disease if they buy Canadian Tamoxifen. Like any other malignancy, one of the dangers of this disease is the possibility that it may metastasize and strike other parts of the body, such as the lungs and bones. However, new research has identified a protein that is crucial to this process, giving doctors a new treatment target.
Scientists from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Canada studied tissue samples of breast cancer and discovered that high levels of a molecule known as parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is central to the initiation, growth and metastasis of the malignancy. Through their experiments, they found that preventing the production of PTHrP in breast cells hampers the progression of the disease.
"The results showed that without the presence of PTHrP in the breast, even before the tumor developed, a reduction of 80 to 90 per cent in the growth of the tumor was observed," said researcher Richard Kremer. "The removal of this hormone in the breast and breast tumors blocks not only the growth of the tumors but also its spread to different organs."
The team validated this target after creating antibodies against PTHrP and used it to halt breast cancer in animal models. Further study is needed to verify these results, which are published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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