The presence of a protein known as Stat5 prevents laboratory-grown breast cancer cells from becoming invasive and aggressive, according to new research from Georgetown University. The research, which appears in the January 27 issue of Oncogene, could one day lead to advanced therapies for breast cancer patients. “This new insight is significant because it is the invasive behavior of breast cancer cells that leads to the formation of metastatic cancer, the most advanced and serious form of the disease,” said Hallgeir Rui, MD, PhD, associate professor of oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University and principal investigator of the study. The research, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, showed that when Stat5 was active, breast cancer cells were not only less invasive, but also aggregated into clusters, resembling healthy breast cells. Conversely, loss of Stat5 stimulated invasive tumor cell activities.
