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Roundup: Scientific discovery may lead to drugs fighting breast cancer BLBC

Xinhua, September 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Cypriot researchers say that they have probably discovered, in association with researchers from the Boston School of Medicine, the reason for the aggressiveness of a type of breast cancer, thus offering hope for more effective drugs to check the disease.

Professor Andreas Constantinou, a molecular biologist said on Tuesday that the discovery may lead to drugs to fight basal-like breast cancer (BLBC), which is among the most aggressive forms of cancer.

"It may translate in the future to targeted treatment that could offer hope of survival to millions of women who suffer this aggressive form of cancer," Constantinou told the state radio.

"This research has global resonance," added Constantinou, who headed the team of Cypriot researchers of the Cancer Biology and Chemoprevention Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences at the state University of Cyprus.

He explained that BLBC does not respond to most conventional drugs available and moreover, this form of cancer is more likely to metastasize faster and earlier.

Constantinou said the researchers of the two teams found high levels of protein IL13Ra2 (Interleukin-13 receptor alpha 2) on the surface of cancer cells in metastatic of advanced forms of BLBC.

Reducing the levels of the IL13Ra2 receptor in mice they noted that the growth of tumors in mice slowed down. Also cancer cells showed less or no metastases to the lungs.

They hypothesized that this protein is involved in cancer development and spreading, a fact offering the prospects to develop effective drugs which were not possible up to now because the reasons behind the aggressiveness of this type of cancer were not known.

"The potential offered by this discovery is not limited to breast cancer, as other forms involve high levels of the IL13Ra2 protein, including cancer of the brain, pancreas, ovaries and colon," said Constasntinou.

Professor Panos Papageorgis, who worked with the Cypriot team, said further studies on the IL13Ra2 cancer bio-indicator will be crucial in improving the quality of life for cancer patients.

"Although the discovery presents hope for some patients, further research is required to fully understand the role of receptor IL13Ra2 and other molecules in breast cancer, which can help in diagnosing, prognozing, and ultimately curing the disease," he added.

An announcement on the discovery has been published in the Breast Cancer Research journal. Endit