Developing a blood test to predict metastatic breast cancer risk
Original Story from Breast Cancer Now
Breast Cancer Now funds research to develop a blood that predicts the risk of metastatic breast cancer.
Researchers are working to develop a blood test which could predict the likelihood of breast cancer spreading to the bone and becoming incurable, thanks to new funding from Breast Cancer Now (London, UK).
The charity has awarded £394,525 to Professor Janet Brown at the University of Sheffield (UK) to investigate early warning signs of secondary breast cancer in the bone by analysing specific proteins found in the blood.
When breast cancer cells spread from the primary cancer in the breast to other parts of the body it is called secondary or metastatic breast cancer. Although treatable, it can’t be cured.
An estimated 61,000 people are living with secondary breast cancer in the UK, and the bone is the most common site for secondary breast cancer.
In earlier research, Professor Janet Brown’s team identified 16 proteins made by breast cancer cells that are ready to spread to the bones. These proteins can be detected in the blood in the early stages of the disease, before the cancer has spread.
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Now, the team will analyse up to 400 blood samples from people with primary breast cancer who participated in two large clinical trials. These participants were monitored for five to 10 years to track whether they developed secondary breast cancer during that time.
Using advanced computer techniques, the researchers will identify which combination of the sixteen proteins best predicts secondary breast cancer in the bone.
They hope this research will lead to a simple test made up of three to five key proteins that can help doctors better understand each person’s risk. This could completely transform how people with breast cancer are monitored and treated in the future.
Professor Janet Brown commented, “Secondary breast cancer is currently incurable. And when secondary tumors form in the bone, they can cause debilitating symptoms and reduce people’s quality of life. This can occur months or even years after treatment, and there’s currently no way to know who this will affect. My team’s working on creating a blood test to predict the risk of future breast cancer spread to the bone, so that we can better support people at higher risk, while sparing those at lower risk from unnecessary treatments.”
“A secondary breast cancer diagnosis can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, yet we still can’t predict who it will affect. This research is a vital step forward in changing that and could allow those at higher risk to receive more personalized treatment and monitoring, helping people who have been treated for breast cancer to live happy, healthy lives without fear of the disease coming back,” stated Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now.
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