Scientists find cause of dangerous type of breast cancer

Australian scientists have found a gene that is responsible for the development of the most aggressive and dangerous type of breast cancer, Nature Communications reported.

The growth of hormone-sensitive breast cancers depends on the presence of hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. This type of cancer is usually sensitive to hormone therapy, but some patients suffer from a special type of estrogen receptor-positive (ER +) cancer called IntClust2, which is considered the deadliest of all breast cancers. Metastases of this type often penetrate the lymph nodes and spread throughout the body, which leads to the death of half of the patients with this disease.

The researchers examined 119 breast cancer samples and found that IntClust2 is characterized by significant amplification (that is, additional copies are formed) of the DNA region on chromosome 11, where the AAMDC gene is located. When the scientists lowered the level of AAMDC in breast cancer cells in mice, large numbers of malignant cells underwent programmed cell death.

Hormone treatment deprives the tumor of the hormones it uses to grow, but additional copies of AAMDC can protect the tumor from therapy. As a result, tumors are able to maintain growth under conditions of metabolic stress. Amplification of AAMDC is also seen in some other types of cancer (ovarian, prostate and lung), which may be the reason for their refractory to treatment.

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