Mammary Gland News and Research

RSS

Breast cancer: How tumor cells break free and form metastases

When tumor cells acquire the capacity to move around and invade other tissues, there is a risk of metastases and cancer treatment becomes more difficult. At the Institut Curie, CNRS Director of Research Philippe Chavrier and his group have just discovered how breast cancer cells break the bonds that tether them to the tumor. The basement membrane around the mammary gland is a barrier to the spread of cancer cells. Three proteins in the tumor cells transport enzymes needed to perforate this barrier, and another protein puts these enzymes in the right place.

4 Jul 2008

Embryonic pathway delivers stem cell traits

Studies of how cancer cells spread have led to a surprising discovery about the creation of cells with adult stem cell characteristics, offering potentially major implications for regenerative medicine and for cancer treatment.

25 May 2008

Chemical in plastic baby bottles worrying Brits

Concerns raised by scientists in the U.S. last month about Bisphenol A, a controversial chemical found in most plastic baby bottles has led to calls from groups in Britain for all baby bottles to be clearly labelled.

7 May 2008

Warning about chemical found in plastic bottles and food containers

A chemical used to make plastic bottles and other food containers, is suspected to be linked to hormonal and neurological problems.

17 Apr 2008

Stem cell marker controls two key cancer pathways

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that a gene associated with human breast stem cells can stimulate development of mammary cells by activating two critical cancer pathways.

15 Apr 2008

Soy appears to protect against development of breast cancer

Evidence is growing from animal and human studies that genistein, a potent chemical found in soy, protects against development of breast cancer - but only if consumed during puberty, says a Georgetown University Medical Center researcher in the British Journal of Cancer published online today.

10 Apr 2008

Green tea may provide breast cancer protection

Green tea is high in the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3- gallate) which helps prevent the body's cells from becoming damaged and prematurely aged.

8 Apr 2008

T-cadherin affects blood vessel growth in breast cancer, hormone from fat cells may play a role

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) may have found a new option for targeted breast cancer therapy by showing the link between a certain protein and the formation and development of blood vessels that feed breast tumors.

7 Apr 2008

Targeting aggressive breast cancers by putting them to sleep

It is well established that Id1, a gene normally produced only in embryonic development, is reactivated in many 'solid' cancers, or carcinomas.

26 Mar 2008

Breast cancer cells have to learn to walk before they can run

Early-stage breast cancer that has not yet invaded the surrounding tissues may already contain highly motile cells, bringing the tumor one step closer to metastasis, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

2 Jan 2008

Perchlorate contamination of drinking water may pose a greater health risk than previously thought

Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown that perchlorate - an industrial pollutant linked to thyroid ailments - is actively concentrated in breast milk.

4 Dec 2007

Real-time 3-D analysis of breast cancer biopsies

A sophisticated microscope that offers a “real-time” 3-D analysis of tissue samples might, in the future, reduce the number of needle biopsies traditionally needed from women suspected of having breast cancer, according to recent research published at Georgetown University Medical Center's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

14 Nov 2007

3-D model of the mammary gland reveals secrets of cancer cells

A trans-Atlantic tie up between scientists at the University of Ulster and the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston could lead to a greater understanding of the triggers that affect cancer cells.

15 Oct 2007

Study links chemical to inhibited milk synthesis, secretion in humans

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified the neurotransmitter serotonin as the chemical responsible for inhibiting milk production and secretion in human mammary glands.

9 Oct 2007

Discovery suggests location of genes for breast density, a strong risk factor for breast cancer

Studying the DNA of 889 people, gene hunters at the Mayo Clinic and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Centers have identified a region on chromosome 5p that is significantly associated with dense breast tissue, a known risk factor for breast cancer.

2 Sep 2007

Rogue cells found that could cause spread of breast cancer

Stephanie Lebret completed the study for her PhD at Deakin's Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology under the supervision of Associate Professor Leigh Ackland.

17 Jun 2007

A single cancer stem cell is sufficient to initiate and maintain a malignant tumor

At the heart of most, if not all cancers, lie a handful of wayward stem cells that feed the ever growing tumor mass, but their scarcity make it difficult for scientists to study them. Now, times of plenty may lie ahead as a breast cancer cell line , established long ago , turned out to behave a lot like cancer stem cells.

14 Jun 2007

Health effects of isoflavones and breast cancer

Are soy products healthy additions to a person's diet, safe alternatives to hormone-replacement therapy or cancer-causing agents" The answer, according to University of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor William Helferich, is, "It depends."

17 May 2007