New breast cancer research in mice shows promise for a new kind of breast cancer therapy. While most cancer therapies are designed to either kill the cancer cells or boost the immune system, this new breast cancer drug has been reported to do both. Breast cancer researchers at Scott & White Healthcare gave this new drug to mice with breast cancer and showed that the drug successfully:
prevented the breast cancer cells from growing and spreading
made the breast cancer cells visible to the immune system, which then killed the breast cancer cells.
maintained the immune protection for up to 1 year so far, such that breast cancer cells injected into the mice were also killed.
While there is likely a long way to go before this research impacts human breast cancer therapy, this is exciting new research. Since this research has only been done in mice so far, a number of human clinical trials will be necessary to show that it works in people, to determine an appropriate dose, and to show that it is safe. While these researchers indicated no negative side effects in the mice, this will also need to be shown in human subjects. Nonetheless, if this new drug can both directly kill breast cancer cells and stimulate the immune system to continue killing the breast cancer cells, this would be a huge step forward in breast cancer therapy.
While advancements in breast cancer therapy like this are essential in the fight against breast cancer, we can also fight breast cancer before it appears. To learn about some of the diet and lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your breast cancer risk, visit www.fightBCnow.com to read my book Fight Now: Eat & Live Proactively Against Breast Cancer.