CANBERRA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have identified a potential new way to treat one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer and prevent its spread.
The study identified a molecular switch that drives the spread of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype associated with some of the poorest outcomes because it lacks the hormone receptors targeted by many existing breast cancer therapies, according to a statement released recently by Australia's Adelaide University.
The research found that patients with low levels of a naturally occurring molecule miR-342 and high activity of a cancer-driving pathway called E2F were more likely to develop metastatic disease.
In pre-clinical models, the team demonstrated that restoring miR-342 levels markedly reduced the spread of breast cancer to other organs, including the lungs and bones.
Researchers also found that palbociclib, an existing breast cancer drug and CDK4/6 inhibitor currently used to treat advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, significantly reduced metastatic tumour growth in models with low miR-342.
The findings, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, suggest that measuring miR-342 could help identify TNBC patients who may benefit from CDK4/6 inhibitors, potentially allowing an existing therapy to be repurposed for one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer.
"Most deaths from breast cancer occur because the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, rather than being caused by the primary tumour itself," said co-senior author Associate Professor Philip Gregory from Adelaide University.
TNBC accounts for about 10-15 percent of Australia's approximately 21,000 breast cancer diagnoses each year but causes a disproportionate number of deaths because of its aggressive nature and tendency to spread rapidly, researchers said. ■