Researchers have found a chance to block breast cancer

Australian scientists have discovered that the oncogene AAMDC plays a role in fattening cancer cells. This study opens up treatment opportunities for women with malignant breast cancer.

Some female patients with malignant breast cancer have larger tumors and faster metastases. Prognosis is often very poor as about 50% of patients do not survive. However, in the future they can hope to prolong their life.

Scientists at the University of Western Australia in collaboration with many universities have identified the AAMDC gene that plays an important role in helping cancerous tumors survive in the body of breast cancer patients.

Thus, if inhibiting the activity of this gene will inhibit and kill cancer cells.

Killing the AAMDC gene will enhance the ability to treat breast cancer - (Photo: KEYSTONE).

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications on March 26.

Australian scientists analyzed 119 samples of chromosome 11 and found that the AAMDC gene was amplified in 25% of the tumours.

To better understand the role of this gene, they studied it in a mouse model.

When reducing the effect of the AAMDC gene in mice with breast cancer, the cancer cells were suppressed and more died.

In addition, they discovered a very unexpected problem. The estrogen-deficient mice signaled for the cancerous tumor to grow, instead of the normal cancer cells that would shrink if the estrogene was lacking.

Since then, Australian researchers have understood that the AAMDC gene can reprogram the metabolism of cancer cells, trigger cancer cells to grow and make cancer cells more adaptive even in the absence of cancer cells. estrogens.

In summary, the newly discovered role of the AAMDC gene is to protect cancer cells and keep cancer cells growing if the tumor is not receiving nutrients.

Thus, it is clear that the AAMDC gene is the factor that hinders the process of cancer treatment with hormones.

AAMDC gene is also found in many other cancers such as ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.

Once the role of the AAMDC gene has been unmasked, researchers can envision new treatments for different cancers.

"It is important that we can now detect these cancers by looking at the level of AAMDC activity in cancer cells," said Dr Pilar Blancafort .