'Zips' stop spread of cancer

New treatments could be developed

Scientists in Wales say they have made a discovery which could help halt the rapid spread of breast cancer.

They found cancer can be stopped from spreading around the breast tumour and to other parts of the body by "zipping" cells tightly together.

Researchers from University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) revealed their findings to the world's largest conference on the topic in Texas, US on Wednesday.

Understanding how cancer spreads from the breast could yield treatments which contain the cancer itself in its early stages, they said.

Women currently face a one-in-nine risk of contracting breast cancer - the most common female cancer in the UK from which 38,000 women suffer each year.

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Cancer spreads to other parts of the body when a cell breaks away from the primary tumour and burrows into a surrounding blood vessel to enter the blood stream.

Cell "zips"

Zips bind cells together

Stronger junctions reduce chance of spread

Focus now on strengthening

But study author Dr Wen Jiang's team in Cardiff studied molecules called "tight junctions", which act like zips sealing the gaps between the bodies' cells.

It analysed breast tumours taken from 114 women and measured the levels of tight junctions in the tissue.

They found that patients with fewer of these zips were more prone to the spread of breast cancer.

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The discovery is one of a series of ongoing research projects which could result in incremental cancer breakthroughs.

Symptoms

Lump in breast or armpit

Change in breast's size/shape

Changes in skin texture

Nipple discharge or change in direction

Unusual pain

Cardiff researchers believe designing therapies to boost the levels of tight junctions could stop breast cancer cells from invading other parts of the body by closing-up their "escape routes".

Professor Robert Mansel of UWCM said: "There are currently very effective methods to treat cancer confined to the breast.

"But treatment becomes more difficult when abnormal cells spread to other parts of the body.

"Doctors could use this information to predict the likelihood of the disease spreading at diagnosis and strategically plan treatments.

"We will now aim to look at ways of increasing the levels of tight junctions to see if this will help control the disease."