Significant discovery could tackle spread of breast cancer

New discovery reveals testing for molecule αvβ6 could identify a subset of breast cancer patients at high risk of their tumours spreading from the breast - and therefore twice as likely to die within five years- Combining αvβ6- antibody drug with breast cancer drug Herceptin 'eradicated' tumours in mice- Researchers are now looking at options to progress to a clinical trial in breast cancer patients For the first time, researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have revealed the molecule 'v'6 (alpha v beta 6) plays a fundamental role in helping breast cancer cells to grow and spread. The study, published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, therefore pinpoints this molecule as a viable new target for treating one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer. Around one in five breast cancers - 10,000 cases per year - are HER2-positive, a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer where increased levels of the HER2 protein gives cancer cells the ability to grow and spread. Currently, the first line of treatment for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer is the targeted therapy Herceptin, also known as trastuzumab. Herceptin blocks the growth signals sent from HER2 to stop the cancer cells from growing and spreading. However, it has been estimated that up to 70 per cent of patients either do not respond to Herceptin, or develop a resistance to the therapy - leaving up to 7,000 women in the UK every year with limited treatment options.