Breast Cancer Patients May Be Saved By New 'Chemo Cocktail'

Breast cancer patients may be saved by a newly developed 'chemo cocktail' - a study has recommended the use of a breast cancer drug jointly with another drug used to treat leukaemia to stall the spread of cancer to organs.

When breast cancer spreads or metastasizes, it crashes through the body's protective fences. The disease becomes fatal when it travels outside the mammary ducts, enters the bloodstream and spreads to the bones, liver or brain.

Breast Lumps
Most breast lumps are caused by hormonal changes in a woman and may not be cancerous. Common causes of breast lumps include fibroadenosis, breast cancer, breast cyst.

Currently, there are only drugs that try to stem the uncontrolled division of cancer cells within the ducts.

Researcher Seth Corey, M.D. from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has shown that the potent new chemotherapy cocktail helps prevent breast cancer cells from invading.

"This is an entirely new way of targeting a cancer cell," said Corey.

Breast Lumps Screening
Breast lumps must never be neglected but instead be subjected to medical examination to rule out cancer.

During the study, Corey found that when the leukemia drug dasatinib is combined with the breast cancer drug doxorubicin, the potent mix inhibits breast cancer cell invasion by half.

Dasatinib targets an enzyme called the Src kinase, which is believed to play a key role in breast cancer invasion and metastases.

Breast Cancer - Causes, Risks, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Staging, Treatment, Prevention & Prognosis
Breast cancer is a cancer that affects the breasts or mammary glands. Early detection and lifestyle changes help in controlling breast cancer.

"Perhaps this drug could be given to prevent invasion from happening in the first place," said Corey.

"This might keep the disease in check and prevent it from progressing," Corey added.

About Cancer in Women
Cancer is one of the frequently talked about and most feared disease that falls under the genre of lifestyle diseases that have evolved, rather rapidly, in the past two decades.

The study appears in British Journal of Cancer.

Source-ANI
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