Scientists identify cause of breast cancer

[eric]

http://www.cphpost.dk/get/103604.html

By identifying cancer stem cells, researchers hope they can get to the root of breast cancer

A Danish research team has made a breakthrough identifying the cells that cause breast cancer. The interdisciplinary team from research institutes around the country made the discovery while studying tissue taken from a number of breast cancer patients. The team was able to discover breast cancer cells that resembled stem cells, shedding new light on the origins of a disease that strikes an average of 4000 women in Denmark every year. ‘We have probably traced the cells that are the root of new cancer cells,’ explained Julio Celis, the leader of the research team at the Danish Cancer Society. ‘These cells all share the same stem cell characteristics, which we consider proves they come from cancer cells that behave like stem cells.’ Celis is attending the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona this week where his team’s results have gained attention. Cancer researchers have theorised for years that cancer stem cells could be the source of breast cancer, and the Danish team’s results provide more evidence. In contrast to normal stem cells, the cancer stem cells reproduce indefinitely, forming a variety of new cancer cells. ‘Our results help us to better understand the disease’s biology and now we will document how the cells behave and distinguish themselves from other cancer cells,’ said José Moreira, a researcher at the Cancer Society. The new results, which are published in science journal Molecular Oncology, could provide decisive insight for the future treatment of breast cancer. ‘If you consider the disease as a tree, up until now we have been treating the branches and the trunk,’ said Moreira. By being able to identify cancer stem cells, doctors will be able to make better diagnoses, develop new medicine, and focus treatment on the individual patient. ‘In that way, the disease will be like a tree that is pulled up by the roots,’ said Moreira.