A new study published in the online version of the journal Science Transnational Medicine concluded that it may soon be possible for some women with breast cancer to avoid invasive and toxic treatments for their disease by measuring an iron-regulating protein found to be a strong predictor of breast cancer prognosis. In their study, they found that low levels of ferroportin, the only known protein that eliminates iron from the cells, were associated with the most aggressive and recurring cancers. These findings demonstrated that it may be possible in the future to test for ferroportin levels in women with breast cancer and predict whether the cancer will return or to help women with high levels of the protein to avoid invasive and toxic treatments such as chemotherapy. In the study they found that some women with high levels of ferroportin did very well and this lead to the belief that treatment for this group may eventually be adjusted to avoid harsh chemotherapy. A series of studies including some with human breast cancer tissue were completed. Further information can be found in the online article.
Tags: breast cancer, ferroportin, research