Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, although it can also occur in men. Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the hardest types of breast cancer to treat. A new cell study has identified two inhibitors that, when used together, can make triple-negative breast cancer cells revert to a state where they can be more easily destroyed. The researchers suggest that their findings should be confirmed in clinical trials to determine whether they could form the basis of a new treatment for this aggressive form of breast cancer. The study found that a combination of AKT and EZH2 inhibitors can selectively kill triple-negative breast cancer cells, raising hopes for a possible new treatment option.
According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in every 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer at some point in their life, with most cases occurring in women over the age of 50. While the incidence of breast cancer is rising, fewer people are dying from the disease due to widespread screening and more effective treatments. However, some forms of breast cancer, such as triple-negative breast cancer, remain hard to treat. TNBC is an aggressive type of breast cancer that tends to grow and spread rapidly, with a worse prognosis than other types of breast cancer. The lack of estrogen, progesterone receptors, and HER2 protein in TNBC cells makes them resistant to hormone therapy and anti-HER2 drugs used to treat other breast cancers.
The new study from Mass General Brigham conducted a cell study in which researchers targeted two proteins, AKT and EZH2, both involved in cell growth and proliferation. Overexpression of these proteins can lead to the formation of cancerous tumors. While inhibiting AKT alone is effective in treating some forms of breast cancer, neither AKT nor EZH2 inhibitors have proven effective against triple-negative breast cancer until now. By combining AKT and EZH2 inhibitors, the researchers were able to induce triple-negative breast cancer cells to differentiate into a state where they could be more easily destroyed by the therapeutic agents.
The researchers found that when they treated isolated TNBC cell lines with a combination of AKT and EZH2 inhibitors, the number of cells was greatly reduced within four days. Machine learning was used to identify what made some TNBC cells more vulnerable to the therapy than others, helping to identify individuals with tumors most likely to respond. This targeted approach enhances the chances of clinical trial success and ensures that the right drug reaches the right patients. The promising results of the study have raised hopes for a more effective therapy that could potentially spare patients from the devastating side effects of chemotherapy.
The study findings were further supported by evaluating the drugs in patient-derived xenografts and several mouse tumor models, which showed dramatic tumor regression in all cases. Clinical trials in humans are now being considered to further evaluate the potential of this new treatment approach. Novel treatment strategies like this are crucial in addressing triple-negative breast cancer, which currently has limited treatment options. The hope is that through further research and clinical trials, this new combination therapy could become a potential treatment option in the future, ultimately helping to prevent deaths from this devastating disease.
