Progesterone Hormone Now Improves Treatment of Breast Cancer: Cambridge Researchers

Breast cancer patients can now benefit from having the cheap and widely available female hormone progesterone added to their treatment. Tumors fueled by the female hormone estrogen are treated with drugs like tamoxifen to block estrogen receptors, which cause cancer cells to grow.

Women whose tumors have progesterone receptors as well are known to have a better outlook, but scientists for decades could not pinpoint why, said the study that appeared in the journal Nature .

Now, a team of scientists have revealed how the progesterone receptor ’talks to’ the estrogen receptor in breast cancer cells to change their behavior, ultimately slowing down tumor growth.

"We have used cutting-edge technology to tease out the crucial role that progesterone receptors play in breast cancer - a mystery that has baffled scientists for many years," said Jason Carroll, lead author from at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute. "This research helps explain why some breast cancer patients have a better outlook," said Carroll.

"This study in the cells shows how a cheap, safe, and widely available drug could potentially improve treatment for around half of all breast cancer patients," concluded Emma Smith, senior science communication officer at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute.

Source-IANS