Researchers are hoping to find new ways to predict when an early form of breast cancer is likely to progress and develop new treatments for those at risk, thanks to new funding from Breast Cancer Now.
Dr Takanori Kitamura at the University of Edinburgh has been awarded £267,585 to investigate a type of immune cell called a macrophage and how it might help an early and non-invasive form of breast cancer known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to progress.
Around 7,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with DCIS every year. It begins in the lining of the milk ducts of the breast, but at this stage, the cancer cells haven’t developed the ability to grow into the surrounding breast tissue. Because it remains contained at this stage, DCIS generally has a very good prognosis.
The treatment usually involves surgery to remove the affected area of the breast. The surgery may be followed by radiotherapy and in some cases hormone therapy. But even with treatment, a small number of DCIS cases can still progress to become invasive breast cancer. Invasive cancer has the potential to also spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes incurable.
However, many cases may never progress and people with low-risk DCIS may not need extensive and intensive treatments they currently receive that can reduce their quality of life. But there is no reliable way to tell apart low-risk DCIS cases that will never progress and high-risk DCIS cases that may develop into invasive breast cancer. This makes it difficult to select the most suitable treatment.
Dr Takanori Kitamura and his team recently found that a type of immune cell, called a macrophage, could be involved in DCIS progression. They found that macrophages making a protein called SIGLEC1 were present within DCIS that later became invasive.
Now, with Breast Cancer Now funding, the researchers want to discover why.
The team will use cutting-edge technology to understand what genes these macrophages rely on and which proteins they make. This knowledge will help them to understand how they communicate with DCIS cells and other non-cancer cells to help DCIS gain the ability to spread and become invasive breast cancer.
Then they’ll investigate mini tumours in the lab, where they’ll study how proteins made by macrophages impact DCIS cells to become invasive.
Finally, they will test if blocking these proteins is an effective treatment to prevent DCIS progression.
Dr Takanori Kitamura said: “Our research will help us understand how the immune system is involved in DCIS progression. This could help us predict which DCIS tumours are likely to become invasive. And it could pave the way for the development of new treatments to prevent progression, ultimately improving outcomes for people diagnosed with this early form of breast cancer.”
Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, head of research communications at Breast Cancer Now said: “Breast Cancer Now is delighted to fund this research that could help to identify patients with high-risk DCIS who could benefit from treatment, whilst also sparing individuals with low-risk DCIS that may never cause any harm from unnecessary therapies that may impact their quality of life.”
Breast Cancer Now is the research and support charity here for anyone affected by breast cancer. Call their free confidential helpline on 0808 800 6000 to speak to their expert nurses or find out more and donate at breastcancernow.org
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For more information or to arrange an interview please contact the Breast Cancer Now press office at press@breastcancernow.org or call 07436 107914.