A study published in the September issue of Cancer Cell provides new evidence for a genetic pathway that is involved in the recurrence of breast cancer and identifies a potential target for development of new anticancer therapeutics.
The research makes use of a unique mouse model of breast cancer that provides insight into the molecular and cellular events that lead not only to tumor development, but also to recurrence of the disease. The findings are particularly significant as they are substantiated in human breast cancer samples.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide and is a leading cause of death from cancer in women. In addition, since a number of effective treatments exist for breast cancer, this represents by far the most prevalent cancer in the world, with more than 5 million women currently living with this disease. Although death from breast cancer is most commonly due to recurrence of the disease, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie relapse. Dr. Lewis A. Chodosh from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia led a study using a mouse model of recurrent breast cancer to examine the mechanisms that allow tumors to evade therapy and reappear after a disease-free interval.