A hormone used in the contraceptive Depo-Provera may hamper the spread of breast cancer cells. However, that hasn’t been shown in people. Human breast cancer cells have been studied but only in labs and in mice, not patients. The results appear in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute’s May 4 issue. The report “provides tantalizing clues for a new prevention strategy based on work in laboratory mice,” a journal editorial notes. However, “the trick is to get the right agent at the right place at the right time,” which may be difficult, it continues. The study was conducted by researchers including Diane Palmieri, a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute. The editorial came from V. Craig Jordan, PhD, DSc, of Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center. Both emphasize the need for further testing.
