In the News...sneaky ca cells & PARP's

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169867.php

One In Three Breast Cancers Change Form When They Spread, Discover Breakthrough Breast Cancer Scientists

Breakthrough Breast Cancer scientists have discovered that over a third of breast cancer tumours change form when they spread, in results published today (Wednesday 4 November) in Annals of Oncology online.

Scientists from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh analysed 211 tumours which had spread from the breast to the lymph nodes, in the armpit. This is where breast cancer cells usually spread to first. In the largest study of its kind they found that in 82 (39%) cases the disease in the lymph nodes had changed type.

Breast cancer is a complex disease with many different types which can be treated in different ways. Cancer cells that have spread to lymph nodes are often more difficult to treat than those in the breast and so it is vital women receive the most appropriate treatment. Breast cancer spreads to the lymph nodes in about 40%* of the 46,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year.

Researchers were surprised to find the disease changed in such a high proportion of patients, and in so many ways, when it had spread.

For example, 20 tumours changed from oestrogen receptor (ER) negative to ER positive. This change would mean hormone therapies such as tamoxifen, which would not have worked for the original tumour, could help treat the disease if it has spread. Other tumours changed from ER positive to ER negative, which suggests those patients may be given treatments which will not benefit them, and are therefore experiencing side effects unnecessarily.

Lead researcher Dr Dana Faratian, from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh, said: "We were surprised that such a high proportion of tumours change form when they spread beyond the breast. This suggests there is a need to test which type of disease a woman has in the lymph nodes, because it could radically alter the course of treatment she receives. We now need a clinical trial to see how these results could benefit patients."

Professor David Harrison, Director of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit, said: "This research may show why some women whose cancer has spread to the lymph nodes do not respond to treatment. With an additional test we may be able to treat women more effectively and also make more efficient use of NHS resources."

A clinical trial needs to be carried out to fully evaluate the benefits of testing cancer cells in the lymph nodes before it can be approved for use on the NHS
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http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20091105/981/tsc-new-therapy-eradicates-cancer -cells.html

New therapy eradicates cancer cells without targeting healthy ones

Thu, Nov 5 02:15 PM

Washington, Nov 5 (ANI): Researchers are close to developing a cancer treatment that kills malignant cells whilst leaving healthy cells untouched.
Led by Professor Cohen-Armon of Tel-Aviv University, the researchers found that potent phenanthridine derived polyADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors efficiently eradicate MCF-7 and MDA231 breast cancer cells without impairing normal proliferating cells, such as human epithelial cells (MCF-10A), nor normal non-proliferating cells, such as neurons and cardiomyocytes.
PARP inhibitors were originally designed to protect cells from cell-death under stress conditions (e.g. stroke or inflammation).
The researchers examined human cancers depending on a constitutive activity of externally regulated kinase (ERK).
The rationale for testing PARP inhibitors in these cancers was the recently disclosed up-regulation of ERK signals in the nucleus by activated PARP-1.
However, there are other mechanisms that also come into play.
The phenanthridine PJ-34 caused a permanent G2/M cell-cycle arrest and cell death within 48-72 hours in breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA231 cells.
On the other hand, normal proliferating cells overcame the imposed G2/M cell-cycle arrest within 12 hours, survived and continued to proliferate.
In the lab, PJ-34 prevented the development of MCF-7 and MDA231 xenotransplants in nude mice without affecting their growth, development or behaviour.

Other PARP inhibitors were recently proved efficient only for treating relatively rare hereditary human cancers developed in individuals with an impaired DNA repair (BRCA gene mutation).

However, in the current research, breast cancer cells lacking the BRCA mutation were efficiently eradicated.

"This research provides a new therapeutic approach for a selective eradication of abundant human cancers," said Professor Cohen-Armon.
The study has been published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research. (ANI)
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