Breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer in the TAU study

Israeli researchers have managed to map the spread of breast cancer cells by analyzing tissue changes in other parts of the body, which could be a breakthrough in the fight against metastatic breast cancer.

According to the researchers, the tissues of the organs where the cancer cells are brought to arrive “prepare the area” for reception and create a hospital environment for them, long before the appearance of the metastases themselves.

Metastases are cancer cells that have spread from one part of the body to another. For example, a person with breast cancer may eventually find breast cancer cells in their lungs. This is called breast cancer metastasis, not lung cancer.

Professor Neta Erez (Courtesy of Tel Aviv University).

According to the researchers, “Patients with breast cancer, as well as patients with many other types of cancer, do not die from the primary tumor, but from distant metastases that have developed, sometimes after years, in the tumor. of vital organs such as the lungs and Identifying the preparatory processes for receiving metastases at an early stage can save millions of lives.

The researchers explained that metastases can appear after several years even in patients who have undergone all of the treatments offered, including surgical removal of the primary tumor, subsequent chemotherapy and radiation therapy to destroy any residual tumor. Tracking methods used today only identify metastases when they are large enough – when the disease is at an advanced stage and medicine has no cure, according to the press release.

The team looked for signs that the preparatory process was about to happen. They focused on connective tissue cells known as fibroblasts which are found in the lungs, among other places.

“In a normal situation, fibroblasts play a central role in healing wounds and lung damage, but recent studies have found that cancer is successful in recruiting them and causing them to produce a favorable environment,” explained the professor. Erez.

“In the present study, we performed the sequencing of all genes expressed in fibroblasts taken from the lungs of mice in a model of breast cancer metastasis,” she added.

The researchers then compared the sequencing results taken from healthy lungs, lungs with micrometastases (very small metastases that cannot be identified using existing clinical tools) and lungs with large metastases. , in an advanced state of illness, the statement said. .

Comparison between different sizes of metastases carried out by the TAU team (Credit: Tel Aviv University)

According to the changes identified from stage to stage, the team succeeded, for the first time, in characterizing the process occurring in the microenvironment of metastases, already in the early stages of preparing the area for its reception.

The press release also noted that the team “specifically identified the proteins that initiate” rewiring “processes in fibroblasts and found that one of the central proteins in the process is MYC – known as a central engine to speed up. the division of cancer cells. “

According to Prof. Erez, “In our study, we were able to characterize the processes that occur in lung tissue in preparation for receiving breast cancer metastases. We believe that in the future our findings may help identify the metastatic process, even before the disseminated cancer cells grow and colonize the metastatic organ, with the aim of providing prophylactic treatment. “

She hopes that “such treatment, which will prevent the development of metastases, can save the lives of millions of people around the world.”