Possible Breast Cancer Predictor

Excised human breast tissue, showing a stellat...
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A recent pair of studies (one in humans, one in mice) has found that there is a possible predictor of what will happen with a breast cancer tumor and in turn suggests some new avenues for treatment. It’s early days yet, but the research results are very interesting.

Two seperate studies looked at the levels of caveolin-1, a protein, in connective (stromal) tissue. One looked at the levels in tissue near actual tumor sites and found that there was a link between low caveolin-1 levels and poor outcomes. A second study looked at caveolin-1 levels in mice and found a link between low levels and aggressive tumor growth.

Caveolin-1 is a protein that plays a role in how cells absorb things.

Both studies suggest some interesting avenues for further research into using caveolin-1 levels to predict outcomes and also to investigate caveolin-1’s possible role as a starting point for new treatments.

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