New hope in the fight against breast cancer: a protein could limit the use of anticancer drugs and side effects
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousNew hope in the fight against breast cancer, which kills many women all over the world every year: a particular protein would limit the use of anticancer drugs and the side effects of chemotherapy.
Breast cancer is the most common (and lethal) form of cancer in women - more than 600.000 women worldwide are diagnosed with this every year. Certainly lifestyle, diet and environmental factors contribute to the development of this disease, but there are also genetic factors underlying the diagnosis: for example, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the main ones responsible for the development of breast cancer.
Under normal conditions, the protein produced by these genes helps repair DNA damage, reducing the chances of 'uncontrolled' cell growth and subsequent tumor development. Any mutation or cellular abnormality that hinders the BRCA genes, on the other hand, predisposes a woman to developing breast cancer. For decades, researchers have tried to understand the role of BRCA genes and the cellular components associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins to understand the development and progression of breast cancer, and to study appropriate treatments to prevent and treat this disease.
Until now, the main type of treatment involved the administration of anticancer drugs in high doses so that the cells do not develop resistance to courses of chemotherapy, and this has painful side effects for patients. However, recent studies have found that reducing the levels of a protein called DSS1 can increase patients' response to chemotherapy - thus decreasing both the doses of anticancer drugs and the side effects associated with such an invasive treatment.
(Read also: Breast cancer: the decree has been signed that allocates 20 million euros for free genomic tests)
A group of researchers from the United States and Japan has begun to closely observe a protein complex called TREX-2 (TRanscription – EXport-2), involved in the transcription and export of messenger RNA from the cell nucleus: this complex includes different proteins, such as GANP, PCID2 and DSS1; as seen in previous studies, an abnormal form of these proteins leads to DNA damage which then results in the formation of tumors.
Credits: Fujita Health University
The researchers then conducted a series of studies starting from controlling the levels of the different proteins in the TREX-2 complex in cancerous tissues, and then conducted experiments at the cellular level. It was found that the DSS1 protein had higher levels in breast cancer tissues than those achieved in non-diseased tissues. In contrast, PCID2 levels were also normal in malignant tissues. Furthermore, low DSS1 levels are associated with a longer survival time in patients.
The painful side effects of anticancer therapies add further suffering to patients already tried by the disease and complicate the modalities of treatment - explains professor Kuwahara, among the authors of the study. - Our research suggests that lowering DSS1 protein levels in breast cancer cells makes breast cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy treatment. This means that a reduction of side effects in patients due to the intake of anticancer drugs is possible.
The promising results achieved by this study generate hope for a safer and less invasive era of chemotherapy for patients suffering from breast cancer.
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Fonte: Fujita Health University
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