Chinese scientists have developed a new strategy that can treat aggressive breast cancer. The research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, reveals the new approach that can be integrated into existing treatment methods to achieve better outcomes in patients with fatal triple-negative breast cancer.
Researchers from Fudan University examined tumor samples from 401 patients with different homologous recombination deficiency scores and analyzed the metabolism of the tumors. While the obtained scores reflect a tumor's response to DNA-damaging drugs, patients with low homologous recombination deficiency scores were found not to respond to treatment.
Researchers identified a molecule called GDP-M that inhibits tumor cells' DNA repair, primarily by increasing the degradation of a protein linked to cancer, increasing the patient's homologous recombination deficiency scores.
