Possible breast cancer treatment revealed in study

A recent study led by researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Centre found strong evidence that prolactin, a hormone responsible for breast growth and production of milk during pregnancy acts as major contributor to breast cancer development and that the hormone could inform the creation of targeted drugs to treat multiple forms of the disease.

Hormones have proteins on their cell surface called receptors that receive and send biological messages and regulate cell function. Through research published in the journal npj (Nature Partner Journals) Breast Cancer, VCU Massey Cancer Centre researcher Charles Clevenger, M.D., Ph.D. and his lab discovered a new altered form of the prolactin receptor called the human prolactin receptor intermediate isoform (hPRLrl) that directly drives breast cancer.

The researchers observed that this modified version of the prolactin receptor interacted with other forms of the receptor to turn benign breast cells into malignant ones, and the presence of hPRLrl in breast cancer cells was associated with triple-negative breast cancer, a rapid rate of cell reproduction and poor outcomes.

Source: TOI