Now scientists bring in another new breakthrough in breast cancer treatment

Scientists have uncovered the most unusual reason why cancer cells in the most malignant cancers are very similar to the embryonic cells of the organ where the cancer has originated. This will bring in new scopes for cancer treatment, especially that of breast cancer, say experts.

By: Sreemoyee Chatterjee | | Updated: August 10, 2018 4:47 pm

Breast cancer is one of the common cancer amongst women. But, including healthy foods can help you to fight it. © Shutterstock

Cancer cells are wonder cells and an Italian surgeon had discovered another amazing trait of cancer cell by using just a microscope around a decade back. Francesco Durante, the surgeon had found that the cells in the most malignant cancers are very similar to the embryonic cells of the organ where the cancer begun from. Now, a team of scientists from Salk Institute have found out an unusual reason for the similarity. They observed that cells in human basal-like breast cancer share features with the embryonic mammary stem cells which are the progenitors of all cell types in the mammary gland of a mouse, as reported by the News Medical. This will definitely open new doors of cancer treatment, say experts. Also Read - Androgen therapy proposed as alternative treatment for breast cancer: How it is different from endocrine therapy?

News Medical quoted Professor Geoffrey Wahl, the senior author of the research who said: “Durante was prescient. He anticipated the relatedness of cells in the embryo to those in malignant cancers–and that dormant cancer cells could be ‘reawakened’ by exposure to ‘persistent irritations’ that we now recognize as inflammation. We can use the insights gained from our work to develop better diagnostic and treatment strategies.” Also Read - Cellular 'death by iron' could be a new promising avenue of cancer treatment

By using cutting-edge techniques, Professor Wahl and his group from Salk University along with Benjamin Spike, an investigator from the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, produced an outline of the genes expressed in each breast cell from its early development to adulthood. According to the report, the researchers made use of ‘single-cell-transcriptome atlas’ for comparing genes expressed in human breast cancers. This resulted in an understanding of the way by which stem cells of the breast arise in early development and the way they turn into the two different types of cells comprising the mature gland. Also Read - Eating meat raises your cancer risk: Is it true?

Cancer has been called a “caricature of development,” reprising features of the embryonic stem cell state for their own perverse purposes. So Wahl and his research group at Salk, along with investigator Benjamin Spike of the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, used cutting-edge techniques to generate an atlas of the genes expressed in each breast cell from very early in development until adulthood, a process that required an analysis of many thousands of cells. They used this “single-cell-transcriptome atlas” to compare genes expressed in human breast cancers. This led to an understanding of how the stem cells of the breast arise in early development and how they turn into the two different types of cells that comprise the mature gland.

“What would be great is if we can figure out how to prevent the reprogramming of cancer cells to become so developmentally plastic. This plasticity will likely preclude development of a single ‘magic bullet’ to treat cancer. Rather, cancers are very adaptive diseases, requiring attacking them from multiple directions, said Professor Wahl.

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Published : August 10, 2018 1:22 pm | Updated:August 10, 2018 4:47 pm

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