Investigators at Northwestern Medicine have discovered critical metabolic shifts associated with estrogen receptor-negative (ERneg) breast cancer, potentially informing future treatment strategies. Led by Susan Clare and Seema Khan, the study highlights how healthy breast tissue exhibits increased lipid metabolism gene expression when ERneg breast cancer is present. This suggests that metabolic pathways like the serine, one-carbon, glycine (SOG) and methionine pathways play roles in cancer development. Their work opens avenues for targeted treatments for the approximately 15 percent of breast cancer cases that lack effective hormone therapy options.
In patients with ERneg breast cancer, increased expression of a lipid metabolism gene signature is found in healthy breast tissue on the opposite side.
The study indicates that previously unknown metabolic changes are crucial for understanding estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer development and could lead to new therapies.
Roughly 15 percent of breast cancer cases are hormone-receptor negative, which limits treatment options for affected patients.
By utilizing metabolomics and epigenomic profiling, the research identifies pathways that may inform targeted preventives and therapeutics for ERneg breast cancer.
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