Metastatic breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United Kingdom, but according to a new research, a key component to stopping the spread of cancerous cells may be hidden in a drug used to treat osteoporosis.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark were able to identify a particular enzyme produced by cancer tumors called LysYl Oxidase (LOX). This enzyme is known to create holes in the bones in order to prepare them for the eventual assimilation of cancer cells.
This helps explain why 85 percent of patients suffering from secondary breast cancer are diagnosed with the metastasis in their bones.
By isolating the LOX in people with estrogen receptor negative (ER negative) breast cancer, the researchers believe doctors can block the activity of the enzyme and prevent it from causing damage to the bones. It can also halt the spread of tumor cells to other areas of the body and end the progression of the disease.
The findings of the study also showed that bisphosphonate, a drug used to prevent bone mass loss and treat osteoporosis, stopped the spread of cancer cells and the deterioration of the bones in laboratory mice.
The researchers are optimistic that this finding can lead to improved prognosis for patients with cancer in the long run.
"This is important progress in the fight against breast cancer metastasis and these findings could lead to new treatments to stop secondary breast tumors growing in the bone, increasing the chances of survival for thousands of patients," co-author Dr. Alison Gartland of Sheffield's Department of Human Metabolism said.
"We are really excited about our results that show breast cancer tumors send out signals to destroy the bone before cancer cells get there in order to prepare the bone for the cancer cells' arrival."
Gartland added that the next objective now is to determine how the LOX produced by cancer tumors interacts with the cells of the bone so that drugs can be developed to stop the damage to the bones and halt the cancer from becoming metastatic.
Associate Professor Dr. Janine Erler of Copenhagen's Biotech Research & Innovation Center (BRIC), also a co-author of the study, said that treating cancer is a very difficult task especially once it has already spread to the patient's bones.
The latest study, however, has helped explain how breast cancer cells attack the bones to prepare them for their subsequent arrival.
Erler said that if they can find a way to prevent this process and translate their findings to the clinic, they can extend the lives of cancer patients by stopping the disease from even spreading.
The study is published in the scientific journal Nature.
Photo: Suzanne Phillips | Flickr
