US EditionUCSF Researchers Uncover How Breast Cancer Steals Energy From Fat Cells
Researchers discovered that blocking gap junctions in tumor cells stopped growth by preventing access to lipids from fat cells, offering a potential new treatment for aggressive breast cancers.
- On Aug. 20, UCSF researchers reported breast tumor cells extract lipids from neighboring fat cells to fuel growth, a study in Nature Communications led by Andrei Goga, PhD, notes this may apply to other fat-dependent cancers.
- Because obesity raises breast cancer risk, being overweight increases the chance of developing and dying from breast cancer, especially aggressive triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for about 15% of cases, researchers say.
- In laboratory experiments, researchers observed tumor cells forming gap junctions that penetrate adipocytes to extract lipids, and blocking these channels or knocking out a gene halted tumor growth in human tissue samples and mouse models.
- Although not yet tested for breast cancer, researchers say preventing tumors' access to lipids could starve cancer cells and several gap-junction inhibitors are in early-phase clinical trials for other cancers, researchers say.
- Beyond breast cancer, study authors Williams, Goga and colleagues note the mechanism may apply to other cancers that use fat as fuel, but researchers caution unknowns remain before clinical use.
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The finding may offer valuable clues for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer
NBC Chicago+6 Reposted by 6 other sources
Study reveals how fat cells can fuel breast cancer tumors
Certain breast cancer tumors may feed on neighboring fat cells, a new study reveals.
·Chicago, United States
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Leaning Left8Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution73% Left
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C 27%
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