Herbs and Vegetables can Improve Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Highlights:

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Triple-negative breast cancer comprises of 15 to 20 percent of all breast tumors.
A natural compound found in herbs and vegetables can reduce the risk of triple-negative breast cancer, finds a new study.
The compound called luteolin inhibited the migration of triple-negative breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in developed and developing countries. Most of the breast cancer cases are diagnosed during the later stages. Triple-negative breast cancer is a deadly type of breast cancer, which comprises of 15 to 20 percent of all breast tumors. A natural compound called luteolin found in herbs and vegetables could reduce the risk of developing metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer in women, according to a new study by a research team at the University of Missouri.

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New Compound That can Help Treat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Developed from Vegetables
A new compound from a rich source in vegetables that can prove to be effective in treating triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has been developed.

‘The plant compound called luteolin is a flavonoid that prevents the migration of triple-negative breast cancer cells throughout the body.’

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Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer often metastasizes to distant sites. These cancer cells lack three receptors targeted by current chemotherapy regimens.

"Triple-negative breast cancer cells lack three receptors, and common cancer drugs can't 'find' the cells, and doctors must treat cancer with extremely aggressive and highly toxic treatment strategies," said Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professor in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center.

Novel Drug for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Enters Testing Phase
A new drug to treat triple-negative breast cancer is ready to undergo testing.

"Women with this type of breast cancer also frequently develop metastatic lesions that originate from drug-resistant cells. Therefore, safer therapeutic therapies that are more effective are being sought for this deadly type of cancer in women."

Luteolin - Natural Compound Reduces Risk of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

A natural, non-toxic plant compound called luteolin is found in herbs and vegetables such as parsley, thyme, celery, and broccoli. Luteolin has been proven effective against many types of cancer.

Luteolin is a flavonoid which has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for treating various conditions including hypertension and inflammatory disorders.

The research team tested the effect of luteolin in suppressing the metastasis in human triple-negative breast cancer cells grown in mice. The findings showed that the plant compound luteolin subdued the metastasis of triple-negative cancer in the lungs of affected mice.

"Mice exposed to human triple-negative breast cancer cells experienced significantly reduced metastatic growth in their lungs after being treated with luteolin," said Hyder.

"In almost every case, the mice also saw no weight loss, which means luteolin has no toxic effects; this plant compound is both safe and effective."

The research team also tested the effect luteolin on subduing the migration of triple-negative breast cancer cells throughout the body. The triple-negative breast cancer cells grown in the dishes were treated with luteolin. The migration of the triple-negative breast cancer cells was inhibited by the plant compound luteolin.

"Triple-negative breast cancer cells are highly mobile in the body, which helps them metastasize to other organs throughout the body," said Hyder. "We found that luteolin inhibits that migration and also can kill cancer cells. We contend that these studies support further investigation of luteolin as an anti-metastatic agent that could be used to combat triple-negative breast cancer and its metastasis."

Hyder and his team said that the early-stage results are promising. If the additional studies are successful, the research team will request the authority from the federal government to begin human drug development, followed by human clinical trials to develop new treatments for triple-negative breast cancer in women.

Facts About Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer lacks three receptors that fuel most breast cancer tumors- estrogen, progesterone, and HER2-neu
There is no targeted treatment for triple-negative breast cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer affects younger women and those with BRCA1 mutations.
For every half an hour, one American woman is diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer
It is aggressive, difficult to treat and more likely to spread and recur

Reference :

Triple Negative Breast Cancer - (http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/triple-negative-breast-cancer)
Triple Negative Breast Cancer Fact Sheet - (https://tnbcfoundation.org/tnbc-facts/)
Luteolin, a flavonoid with potentials for cancer prevention and therapy - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2615542/)

Source: Medindia

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