Breast Cancer And Hormones: Survival Rates Higher With Female Hormone Progesterone

New findings published in the journal Nature reveal that the common female hormone progesterone may boost the lifespan of breast cancer patients. 

For the study, researchers used a newly developed technique that collects breast cancer cells for research. In fact, researchers have noted that pairing this new method with other advanced medical technologies may even lead to new treatments for breast cancer in time. 

"Traditionally, breast cancer tumors are destroyed once they have been removed from a patient. The new technique we have developed sees tumor cells from participating patients 'rescued' for research purposes," Professor Wayne Tilley of the University of Adelaide's Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, said in a news release. "This technique, which is used to test current and new forms of therapy on tumor cells, has potential to one day provide an individualized treatment option for the patient based on how the tumor responds to therapy," Tilley explained. "The method is also a vital research tool. It has helped shed light on the mystery of progesterone action that has confounded researchers and clinicians for a long time."

Researchers said that the latest research may explain why patients with certain types of hormone-driven breast cancer may be more likely to recover.

"We used state-of-the-art DNA reading technology to create maps showing where the oestrogen receptor attaches to DNA to switch on genes," Dr. Jason Carroll, from the University of Cambridge's Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, added. "We then compared these maps in breast cancer cells grown with and without progesterone. This revealed how the 'switched on' progesterone receptor redirects the oestrogen receptor to different DNA regions - switching on a different set of genes that slow down cell growth.

"This important research helps explain why some breast cancer patients have a better prognosis. Crucially, it has provided a strong case for a clinical trial to investigate the potential benefit of adding progesterone to drugs that target the oestrogen receptor, which could improve treatment for the majority of hormone-driven breast cancers."

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