(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A newly identified protein may contribute to the
spread of breast cancer, making it a potential maker for metastatic breast
cancer.
Until now, early markers of metastatic breast cancer have been hard to find.
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University along
with collaborators at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified a
protein, called Menainv, that is present in only invasive cells within a breast
tumor.
Cells in which Menainv are present move into surrounding tissue and eventually
to blood vessels. The protein is not found in breast cancer cells that don't
move (resident cells). This is the first time that a protein has been discovered
that seems to contribute solely to the invasive and metastatic ability of tumor
cells.
Most cancer deaths are due to cancer that had spread to other organs. Upon
diagnosis, six out of 10 breast cancer patients have cancer that is still in its
primary location making the discovery of an early marker for invasive breast
cancer of great clinical value.
Researchers also found breast cancer cells harboring Menainv are less likely to
be responsive to newer breast cancer treatments that inhibit epidermal growth
factor receptors (EGFR).
SOURCE: Developmental Cell, published online Dec. 8, 2008
