Milk gland cancers treatment clue

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Scientists have identified a way of tackling hard-to-treat breast cancers.

About one in 10 women affected by the disease develop in the cells that line the milk glands, called lobular cancers.

A team from Breakthrough Breast Cancer found high levels of the FGFR1 receptor, the journal Clinical Cancer Research reported.

They said it was the "first step to tailored treatments" for this kind of breast cancer.

Treating lobular breast cancers is difficult.

They are generally treated with anti-hormone drugs, like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, as they have the oestrogen receptor but not all respond well, neither do they respond to chemotherapy before surgery.

Poor prognosis

The researchers from the Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research in London screened the human genome using a new technology called array-CGH (comparative genomic hybridisation) to screen the genome for changes.

The discovery of FGFR1 is the first step on the road to tailoring treatment for the 10-15% of women diagnosed with lobular breast cancer Dr Jorge Reis-Filho, Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre

The FGFR1 gene gives instructions for making a protein called fibroblast growth factor receptor.

It has a similar structure to the HER2 protein which Herceptin is targeted at.

The researchers found that almost half of the breast cancers had levels of the receptor which were too high.

Other studies have shown that too much FGFR1 is associated with a poor prognosis and an increased chance of the breast cancer recurring.

The researchers suggest blocking FGFR1 may be a way of treating these breast cancers with abnormally high amounts of FGFR1.

The also removed the FGFR1 gene from cells that mimicked the genetic features of this group of breast cancers, and showed the cells were "addicted" to the FGFR1 - and so relied on the gene to be present for the tumour to grow.

When FGFR1 was removed, the rate of cell growth was reduced.

New targets

The researchers then identified a chemical called SU5402 targeted at the receptor which stops FGFR1 working and could therefore reduce the growth of these cells.

It is hoped human trials of this treatment could take place in the next few years.

Further research is underway. It is hoped that, if initial findings are confirmed, drugs which can stop FGFR1 from working could be in clinical trials within two years.

This finding could also be applied to other cancers in which similarly high levels of FGFR1 could be found.

Dr Jorge Reis-Filho, Team Leader of the Molecular Pathology laboratory at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, says:

"Breast cancer is a complex disease made up of many subtypes.

"Currently, most breast cancers are treated similarly but we'd like to be able to tailor treatment for each type.

"To do this, it is important that we find new targets for drug development.

"The discovery of FGFR1 is the first step on the road to tailoring treatment for the 10-15% of women diagnosed with lobular breast cancer.

"The identification of FGFR1 in this sub-group of breast cancers is a very promising finding and although we are a few years away from clinical trials we are moving closer towards our vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer."

Dr Norman Freshney, of the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "Although this research is at an early stage, it identifies a promising new target on which to base the development of potential new treatments.

"The application of such treatments, alone or in combination with other treatments, offers future patients better prospects of a full recovery from this disease."