Breast Cancer Spread Stopped By Enzyme Blockage

By
Doctor ASKY
-
96
Breast-Cancer
  • Is it possible to stop the spread of Breast Cancer? 
  • Maybe so. 
  • A breakthrough in breast cancer research might be the answer doctors were looking for.
  • A study conducted at UC San Francisco shows how blocking an enzyme present in the body can stop tumor cells from spreading. 
  • The team of researchers discovered an essential enzyme, MMP9, while studying a mouse model. They were investigating the spread of early-stage breast cancer.
  • The research showed that the enzyme MMP9 was an essential factor in the spreading of tumor cells to other organs, which enables the spread of cancer.
  • Metastasis of cancer is the growth of a tumor in a different region to where the tumor initially started. 
  • The spread or metastasis is the biggest hurdle in the treatment of cancer. 
  • After cancer spread to different organs, it can only be managed rather than treated.
  • The discovery of an enzyme such as MMP9 is vital for early-stage breast cancer treatment. 
  • It is the breakthrough scientists needed!
  • The enzyme MMP9 enables the spread of breast cancer to other organs by providing the tumor cells a safe place to replicate without any hindrance.
  • The MMP9 also prevents immunotherapy by forming a barrier around the tumor cells.
  • Hence, it is vital to deactivate the enzyme MMP9.
  • The scientists conducted multiple experiments to investigate this further.
  • The team injected tumor cells in mice that had early-stage breast cancer. 
  • They observed that the tumor cells spread to the lungs, and cancer metastasized.
  • In another set of mice, they injected tumor cells + the antibody that deactivated the enzyme MMP9. Results showed no spread of the tumor to the lungs. 
  • It is remarkable! 
  • While there was no effect of the primary tumor present in the body, the spread of the cancer was effectively blocked by deactivating the enzyme MMP9.
  • The result of this research is promising. 
  • It provides a new way to manage the treatment of early-stage breast cancer.
  • Immunotherapy is a treatment often used to treat cancers. In this, the immune cells of the body target the tumor cells and destroy them.
  • However, enzyme MMP9 prevents this from happening by creating a barrier.
  • Hence, when an antibody deactivates the enzyme MMP9, immunotherapy can also be successful.
  • A new treatment using a combination of MMP9 antibody and immunotherapy can effectively stop the spread of breast cancer to other organs!

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