Recent Advancements in Breast Cancer

Breast tumors have a highly diverse cellular makeup that includes cancer cells, endothelial cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, adipocytes and stem progenitors. Cancer researchers have focused heavily on progenitor cells in recent years due to their tendency to differentiate into a specific type of cell, similar to stem cell behaviour. The dynamic interactions among these different cell types via paracrine signalling have been shown to lead to cancer progression and drug resistance.

Cancers detected in women who undergo annual mammography screening are smaller and less advanced than those found with biennial screening, according to a retrospective study.

Annual screening, in comparison to biennial screening, resulted in a significant reduction of late-stage disease among women age 40-84 years. Additionally there were fewer interval cancers and smaller tumor size. Two hundred women (86%) underwent mammography screening annually (every nine to 12 months), while 32 (14%) had biennial screening (every 21 to 27 months). There were no marked differences in baseline characteristics between the annual and biennial groups, including age, menopausal status, hormone replacement use, high risk status, family history and race.

Patients who previously received radiotherapy (RT) for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) had higher mortality after developing an invasive second breast cancer (SBC) than those who did not receive RT. This research may influence clinical decision-making regarding initial therapy for DCIS and highlights the importance of a discussion with each patient before treatment, taking into account individual patient characteristics and preferences. Researchers found that radiation for DCIS is prophylactic; it reduces the risk of invasive recurrence, while also increasing the probability of eventual mastectomy. This research also suggested that personal patient preferences should drive decision-making. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2019, it is estimated that about 62,930 new cases of carcinoma in situ will be diagnosed and 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.

Researchers identify key protein required for therapeutic resistance in aggressive breast cancer. The researchers observed that the onset of resistance to the two most common drugs deployed against TNBC is associated with changes in the shape of the cancer cells and the manner in which they process fat. The cells are able to store fat droplets that they can exploit as a source of energy to fight off the effects of chemotherapy. These cells were also seen to develop a dependence on the protein perilipin4, which is highly expressed in resistant tumors. The protein is used by the cancer cell to stabilize the fat droplet, which would otherwise leak free fat into the cell, which is toxic to it and would kill the cell.

For more details please follow the link: https://frontiersmeetings.com/conferences/breastcancercongress/    

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#Breast_Cancer_congress_2020 #Zurich #Switzerland #June15-17_2020