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Study links Nicotine with Breast Cancer
growth and spread
Newswise — A study published
in Cancer Research, a journal of the
American Association for Cancer Research,
suggests a possible role for nicotine in
breast tumor development and metastases.
The study, conducted by
researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center, is among the first to
explore the effects of nicotine on mammary
cells.
“Although numerous studies
indicate the role of nicotine exposure in
tumor promotion, little is known about the
effect of nicotine on breast tumor
development, especially on the metastatic
process of breast cancer,” said lead author
Chang Yan Chen, Ph.D., M.D., at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center.
Through a series of in vitro
tests Chen and her team of researchers
determined that breast epithelial-like
MCF10A cells and cancerous MCF7 cells both
express several subunits of nAChR (nicotine
receptor), that when bound, initiate a
signaling process, potentially increasing
cell growth and migration.
“The best known role of nAChR
is in the nerve system,” Chen said.
“Although cells from various tissue origins
express different subunits of nAChR, we know
very little about the functions of nAChR in
non-neuronal cells and tissues, in
particular in mammary cells.”
“We were able to determine
that mammary cells express different
subunits of nAChR and that nicotine,
possibly through perturbing cell cycle
checkpoints, potentiates tumorigenesis in
mammary cancer-prone or cancer cells,” Chen
said.
In vivo studies confirmed
these findings. When injected into the tail
of a mouse the cancerous MCF7 cells migrated
to the lungs.
From in vivo and in vitro
studies, it indicates that nicotine is not a
conventional carcinogen, but rather it
combines with other yet to be determined
factors to enable tumorigenesis.
“In vitro and in vivo tests
showed that no metastasis occurs when the
administration of nicotine alone,” said
Chen. “At this point we can only suggest
that nicotine potentiates the growth-related
process.”
Chen hopes to conduct more
studies, in particular under the genetic
backgrounds with loss or defect of different
tumor suppressors, to further explore the
effects of nicotine in relation to first-
and second-hand exposure, on breast cancer
initiation and development.
The mission of the American
Association for Cancer Research is to
prevent and cure cancer.
Founded in 1907, AACR is the
world’s oldest and largest professional
organization dedicated to advancing cancer
research.
The membership includes more
than 28,000 basic, translational and
clinical researchers; health care
professionals; and cancer survivors and
advocates in the United States and 80 other
countries.
AACR marshals the full
spectrum of expertise from the cancer
community to accelerate progress in the
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
cancer through high-quality scientific and
educational programs. It funds innovative,
meritorious research grants.
The AACR Annual Meeting
attracts more than 17,000 participants who
share the latest discoveries and
developments in the field.
Special conferences
throughout the year present novel data
across a wide variety of topics in cancer
research, treatment and patient care.
AACR publishes five major
peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research;
Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer
Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &
Prevention.
Its most recent publication
and its sixth major journal, Cancer
Prevention Research, is dedicated
exclusively to cancer prevention, from
preclinical research to clinical trials.
The AACR also publishes CR, a
magazine for cancer survivors and their
families, patient advocates, physicians and
scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing
essential, evidence-based information and
perspectives on progress in cancer research,
survivorship and advocacy.
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