DALLAS – January 6, 2009 – A single gene that appears to play a crucial role in aggressive breast cancers by both increasing the ability of the cancer to spread and making it resistant to chemotherapy has been discovered by a team of researchers funded, in part, by a Susan G. Komen for the Cure® research grant.
Scientist detect gene that appears to be involved in more than a third of all breast cancers
Scientists used innovative approaches that combine sophisticated new tests and traditional experimental techniques to detect the gene called MTDH, which appears to be involved in more than a third of all breast cancers. Not only did these researchers identify the gene, they were able to show how this gene helps tumors spread. Now they believe drugs could be developed that block the gene -- keeping local tumors from metastasizing or spreading.
This is significant because 98 percent of patients with breast cancer that has not spread beyond the breast live five years or more, while only 27 percent of patients whose cancer has spread to other organs survive five years.
The important discovery was reported in the January 6 issue of Cancer Cell by Yibin Kang, Ph.D., of Princeton University, and colleagues. Komen for the Cure provided Kang with a two-year $250,000 grant in 2005.
Nearly $53 million devoted to research metastatic disease
In the past four years alone, Komen has devoted nearly $53 million to research answering questions critical to understanding metastatic disease, according to Marianne Alciati, Ph.D., managing executive director of Komen’s scientific operations. Since its founding 27 years ago, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has contributed more than $1.2 billion to scientific research and community programs.
“Not only is this an important step toward understanding how certain breast cancer metastasizes, but it’s a wonderful example of the impact of Komen’s research funding,” said Diana Rowden, Komen’s vice president of Health Sciences.
"This gives us a real shot at developing a drug that will inhibit metastasis," said Michael Reiss, M.D., of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, who was part of the team that discovered the gene.
Kang said he hopes his team’s discovery will lead to drugs that not only keep breast cancer from spreading, but also make it more responsive to treatment.
"If we have a drug to inhibit this type of gene, one stone hits two birds," Kang said.
