The discovery of a gene that plays a role in a particularly dangerous form of breast cancer could pave the way for a new treatment.
Approximately one in five patients are affected by triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. The prognosis for these patients is poor because the tumors lack receptor proteins that respond to hormone therapies used for other types of breast cancer.
A UK research team looked at breast cancer from almost 3,000 patients and focused on genes that affect the behavior of stem cells and developing tissues.
They found that when a gene identified as BCL11A was overactive in human and mouse cells, it drives the development of this dangerous form of breast cancer.
The researchers are hoping that the discovery will lead to a targeted treatment for BCL11A cancer.
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