Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive disease that presents an enormous clinical challenge. Its biology is less well understood compared with many other cancers and there is an urgent need for new prognostic tools and treatments. Now, a new study suggests screening patients for the prolactin receptor may offer a step forward.
The study is the work of researchers at McGill University in Canada, who report their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
A diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer means the tumor lacks the three most common types of receptor known to drive most breast cancer growth. These receptors are: estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
Around 15 percent of breast cancer is triple-negative.
Unfortunately, it is typically associated with a high rate of recurrence and poor patient outcome.
Suhad Ali, associate professor of medicine and senior author of the new study, explains that triple-negative breast cancer is very difficult to treat. Compared with other types of breast cancer, targeted treatment options are limited and patients often have to undergo invasive chemotherapy and have a poor prognosis.
Studies that have probed the biology of triple-negative breast cancer suggest it is not one disease but a range of diverse cancers that behave differently in different patients. For example, a study published in 2011 that used gene expression profiles suggested there are at least six subgroups of triple-negative breast cancer. (…)
Available in: <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313685.php>.
The study conducted by researchers at McGill University in Canada suggests:
