While it is already known that breast cancer cells create the conditions for their own survival by communicating their needs to the healthy cells that surround them, researchers have identified a new way of turning off that cellular cross talk.
They have shown that a molecule known as “hedgehog” sits at the centre of the switchboard in breast cancer, transmitting biochemical signals between the cancer cells and healthy cells.
When this conversation is blocked – or hedgehog is “silenced” – tumours shrink and stop their spread.
While the finding applies to all breast cancers, it is particularly relevant for women with basal breast cancer, for which there is no current targeted therapy.
Read more at Garvan Institute