Scientists tackle resistance to breast cancer drug
Certain types of breast cancer that are driven by the unusual behavior of estrogen receptors can be treated when patients buy Canadian Tamoxifen.
Certain types of breast cancer that are driven by the unusual behavior of estrogen receptors can be treated when patients buy Canadian Tamoxifen. However, physicians have observed that for some, the drug can work initially, but may eventually become ineffective because patients' malignancies turn resistant to it. Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco have discovered why this can sometimes happen, and how this problem can be solved.
One thing that pathologists look for when examining biopsies is increased production of estrogen receptors, which drives 65 percent of cases of breast cancer, the researchers said. Tamoxifen helps fight these forms of the disease by blocking estrogen receptors and preventing cell growth and proliferation. This drug does not work for patients whose breast cancer is not driven by estrogen receptors, or for those who develop some kind of resistance.
In the laboratory, the research team discovered that Tamoxifen resistance is the result of epigenetics, a phenomenon that controls gene expression. In this case, breast cancer cells compensate for Tamoxifen by increasing production of the gene AKT, which allows them to thrive despite the medication.
Through their experiments, the scientists demonstrated that treating cells with both Tamoxifen and existing drugs that target AKT can win back the battle against breast cancer, as presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics.
Further clinical trials of this two-pronged approach are needed to verify safety and effectiveness.
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