Researchers at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center have made an important discovery that could lead to new treatments for triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of cancer that has limited treatment options.
The study, recently published in Molecular Cancer, identifies a protein called NAC1 as a potential target for therapy. This discovery may open new doors for patients who face this challenging diagnosis.
Triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for about 10–15% of all breast cancer cases, is known to spread quickly and is more difficult to treat than other types of breast cancer.
Unlike other breast cancers, it lacks three common markers—estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors—that many treatments target.
This makes triple-negative breast cancer resistant to traditional therapies, resulting in a poorer prognosis for patients.
In this study, led by Xia Liu, Ph.D., and Jinming Yang, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Kentucky’s Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, researchers found that NAC1 plays a significant role in helping triple-negative breast cancer cells grow and spread.
NAC1 does this by supporting “cancer stem cell” properties in the tumor cells, which helps them survive and resist treatment.
Additionally, NAC1 interferes with the immune system by affecting cells known as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs).
These immune cells can protect cancer cells from being recognized and attacked by the body’s immune system, allowing the cancer to grow unchecked.
By targeting NAC1, researchers believe it may be possible to stop cancer cells at their root and restore the immune system’s ability to recognize and fight the cancer.
The study’s findings suggest that NAC1 could be a promising target to address two key issues in triple-negative breast cancer: eradicating the cancer stem cells that drive tumor growth and preventing the immune system from being “tricked” by the tumor.
“Targeting NAC1 could allow us to simultaneously remove cancer stem cells and reduce the tumor’s ability to evade the immune system,” the study explains. If therapies can be developed to inhibit NAC1, it may help prevent triple-negative breast cancer from spreading and make it more vulnerable to treatment.
The implications of this study are particularly significant because there are currently few effective treatment options for triple-negative breast cancer. This research offers hope for developing therapies that go beyond current options by addressing the unique challenges of this cancer type. Treatments that target NAC1 could potentially slow down or stop tumor growth and help the immune system fight back.
While more research is needed to translate these findings into treatments for patients, this study provides a promising new path toward better outcomes for people diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
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