Introduction to Breast Cancer and Fat Cells
Being overweight or obese has long been linked to a greater risk of developing or dying from breast cancer. New research suggests a reason: Certain breast cancer tumors may feed on neighboring fat cells.
The findings may help scientists find ways to treat triple-negative breast cancer, which is notoriously aggressive and has lower survival rates. Moreover, the results may apply to any cancer that uses fat as an energy source, according to the report, published Wednesday in Nature Communications.
Understanding Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative accounts for about 15% of all breast cancers. It tends to be more common in Black women and women under 40 and is more likely to recur than other cancers. The breast tumor cells appear to gain access to the fat cells’ content by poking a straw-like structure into the fat cells and then dislodging the lipids stored there.
Mechanism of Tumor Growth
If researchers can find a way to block tumors from tunneling into neighboring fat cells without harming patients, they might have a way to cure the often deadly cancers, said the study’s lead author, Jeremy Williams, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco. “Aggressive cancer cells can co-opt different nutrient sources to help them grow, including by stimulating fat cells in the breast to release their lipids,” Williams said. “In the future, new treatments might starve the tumor cells by preventing their access to lipids from neighboring cells.” Lipids are fatty compounds, such as cholesterol, that are used largely for energy storage in the body.
Experiments and Findings
Williams and his colleagues ran multiple experiments, some using tissue from breast cancer patients and others using a mouse model of a breast cancer patient. In the experiments exclusively using human tissue, the researchers examined fat cells at varying distances from tumor cells. They found that the closer the fat cells were to tumor cells, the more depleted in lipids they were. When the researchers blocked the tumor cells’ ability to build the straw-like structures, officially known as gap junctions, the tumors stopped growing.
Implications and Future Treatments
They found a similar result in a mouse model, in which tumor cells from breast cancer patients were tweaked genetically so they lost some of their ability to make gap junctions. When the tissue was implanted in mice, the mice were protected. “Knocking out a single gene impaired the formation and progression of the tumor,” Williams said. As it turns out, several medications that inhibit gap junction formation are being studied in early-phase clinical trials for other purposes, Williams said.
How Cancer ‘Grows and Feeds Itself’
Dr. Julia McGuinness, a breast cancer specialist and an associate professor of medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said it’s the first evidence of a mechanism showing the association between fat and cancer. It’s also “suggesting one pathway to treat aggressive cancers for which we don’t have any good therapies,” McGuinness said. “We already know that obese women who have these kinds of cancer have worse outcomes.” The new research may also suggest that lifestyle modifications that would help women achieve healthy weights might also protect against such cancers, McGuinness said. “Slimming down could be protective,” she said, adding that obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for all breast cancers.
Expert Insights and Future Directions
The authors of the study found ways to look at the mechanism linking fat to breast cancer growth in ways that couldn’t be tested in human beings, said Justin Balko, the Ingram professor of cancer research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “They found a new way cancer grows and feeds itself,” Balko said. “If some of the same effects are observed in humans, it might be fodder for differences in the way we treat patients.” But there are caveats, Balko said. “For example, we don’t know if this is a major mechanism by which breast cancer grows in humans,” he said. “But it makes a lot of sense.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, the study reveals a significant link between fat cells and the growth of breast cancer tumors, particularly triple-negative breast cancer. The findings suggest that blocking the ability of tumor cells to access lipids from neighboring fat cells could be a potential treatment strategy. Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved and to explore the implications for human health.
FAQs
- Q: What type of breast cancer is most commonly linked to obesity?
A: Triple-negative breast cancer is most commonly linked to obesity. - Q: How do tumor cells access lipids from neighboring fat cells?
A: Tumor cells access lipids from neighboring fat cells by poking a straw-like structure into the fat cells and then dislodging the lipids stored there. - Q: What is the potential treatment strategy suggested by the study?
A: The potential treatment strategy suggested by the study is to block the ability of tumor cells to access lipids from neighboring fat cells. - Q: Is obesity a risk factor for all breast cancers?
A: Yes, obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for all breast cancers. - Q: What is the significance of the study’s findings?
A: The study’s findings suggest a new mechanism by which breast cancer grows and feeds itself, and may lead to the development of new treatments for aggressive breast cancers.
