Breakthrough in breast cancer research

A significant development in the treatment of breast cancer has been made as scientists have discovered that blocking a key enzyme could prevent it spreading to other organs.

In studies published on 22 February, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) found that the action of a specific enzyme is involved in allowing breast cancer cells to progress to other parts of the body.

Dr Caitlin Palframan, senior information and policy officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer said: “Although this research is in the early stages, it raises the exciting prospect of a new target for breast cancer treatment. If further research in the clinic supports these results, it could allow for the development of further tools to help reach our goal of a future free from the fear of breast cancer.”

The findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, show that the enzyme lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) is required in order to allow cancer cells to travel to distant organs.

Significantly, it was found that there was a direct relation between blocking the function of LOXL2 and a decrease in cancer spreading from the breast to the lungs, liver and bone.

ICR researchers found that LOXL2 allows cancer to spread by dictating the amount of two types of molecules, named TIMP1 and MMP9, which have previously been shown to play a part in the process.

Although more research is required, scientists believe that a drug designed to stop LOXL2 could be used in order to treat women with advanced breast cancer.

The latest figures published by the charity Cancer Research UK have shown that breast cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK with around 46,000 new cases being diagnosed each year.

LOXL2 has also been linked to other types of cancer, including oesophageal and colon, meaning the findings could be significant in the treatment of these other forms of the disease.