Determining the gene causes breast cancer cells to spread

Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute in the United States have identified three types of genes involved in the process of breast cancer cells spread to the brain.

Breast cancer cells observed under electron microscopy.

The phenomenon of metastatic breast cancer cells on the brain usually occurs only years after the tumor has been removed.

This suggests that the initial breast cancer cell is incapable of penetrating the blood defense system to the brain - a system that prevents the entry of circulating cells and regulates the transport of molecules. Study on brain tissue to protect the nervous system.

Through research, scientists found that the two types of COX2 and HB-EGF genes are the culprits causing metastasis in the brain in people with breast cancer.

Another gene, ST6GALNAC5, usually works only in brain tissue, causing a chemical reaction that creates a membrane covering breast cancer cells, thereby allowing these cells to pass through the system. Protect the blood on the brain.

Previous studies have also shown that COX2 and HB-EGF are involved in breast cancer cells spread into the lungs.

According to scientists, this new finding may explain the same brain cancer and lung cancer that occurs in breast cancer patients and help find new therapies for these diseases.