DACH1 a Key Protein for Tumor Suppression in ER+ Breast Cancer
Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
have identified a protein relationship that may be an ideal treatment target for
ER+ breast cancer. The study was reported in the July 15 issue of Cancer
Research.
DACH1, a cell fate determination factor
protein, prevents cancer cell proliferation by repressing the function of
estrogen receptorsin breast cancer, the researchers found. However, they also
found that as the presence of DACH1 decreases in breast cancer, the presence of
estrogen receptors increases, and vice versa.
Approximately 70% of breast cancers are
ER+. Treatment for ER+ breast cancer usually consists of hormone therapy, which
includes lowering the natural estrogen levels in the body or using synthetic
drugs like tamoxifen, which compete with natural estrogen. However, this
treatment only works for a few years.
“Eventually, cancer cells will circumvent
the estrogen-dependent growth and find a different pathway through which they
will proliferate,” said Vladimir Popov, a doctoral student in Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology at Jefferson College of Graduate Studies of Thomas Jefferson
University and the study’s first author. “Our lab has shown that there is a
correlation between DACH1 and estrogen receptors. DACH1 is a naturally occurring
repressor of estrogen receptor function in normal breast tissue, which makes it
a promising therapeutic target for patients with ER+ breast cancer.”
DACH1 is expressed in normal breast
tissue. As breast cancer develops and becomes more invasive, the expression of
DACH1 decreases. In a previous study of more
than 2,000 breast cancer patients,
Jefferson researchers found that a lack of DACH1 expression was associated with
a poor prognosis. Patients who did express DACH1 lived an average of 40 months
longer.
“Many more studies need to be done, but
there is strong evidence that DACH1 is a promising marker of survival and
therapeutic target in patients with breast cancer,” said the study’s senior
researcher Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D, who is director of the Kimmel Cancer
Center and chair of the Cancer Biology department at Jefferson.
Media Only Contact:
Emily Shafer
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 7/15/2009