Localized Breast Cancer Cells Have Potential to Spread

Early breast cancer tumors that have not yet spread contain cells with a predisposition to migrate to new tissue, a new study finds.

So, just because a cancer has not yet spread doesn't mean its cells lack the ability or inclination to do so, warned researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. They added that there is also no evidence to suggest that these cells correlate with a positive or negative health outcome for women with breast cancer.

"This is an exciting finding, because it suggests that cells might acquire migratory properties much earlier than expected," senior author Tony Hunter, a professor in the Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory at the institute, said in a prepared statement.

Self-screening for breast cancer, regular doctor's visits and mammograms have all made it possible to identify breast cancer tumors in their early stages. When identified early, the cancer cells usually are within the confines of a milk duct, the most common origin of breast cancer tumors.

Removal of the small tumor and surrounding tissue, called a lumpectomy, is the standard treatment for this early stage of breast cancer. The question of whether women should also have radiation treatment to address any stray cancer cells has been hotly debated, partly because approximately 16 percent of these patients will see their cancer return within five years.

According to the researchers, the identification of cells that could spread, called motile cells, supports the need for radiation, which is usually determined by tumor size.

The research team studied breast cancer in the lab by allowing breast tissue to grow under observation. The researchers also turned on a series of chemical signals, called the ERK1/2 MAP kinase pathway, that is often active during tumor growth. They then watched as breast cancer cells began to grow and become more aggressive.

The lab setting limited the spreading of the cancer cells, but the researchers interpreted the activity of the cells to indicate a potential for spread.

Writing in the current edition of The Journal of Cell Biology, the researchers said the next step is to identify biological markers to help oncologists diagnose patients who are at higher risk of metastasis.

Researchers Gets Closer to Origin of Parkinson's Disease

The nerve cell death that helps drive Parkinson's disease may be triggered by a harmful modification in a particular nerve cell protein, new research reveals.

The modification in question -- an apparently toxic mix of the protein alpha-synuclein and the critical neurotransmitter dopamine -- can be found in all Parkinson's patients, researchers say.

The change short-circuits a process that allows aging nerve cells to stay healthy by purging themselves of damaged molecules, researchers explain in the Jan. 2 online issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

"The general idea is that, in Parkinson's, the neurons accumulate lots of garbage," explained study author Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo, an associate professor in the department of anatomy and structural biology at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York City.

"Normally," she said, "this garbage is removed before it builds up, and is dumped into garbage containers called lysosomes, which make sure things can move about the neurons fast and freely."

Such a filtering process for disposing of damaged molecules is known as "autophagy," a term that literally means "self-eating."

"But sometimes, this mechanism fails," Cuervo noted. "And now we have found the reason why. It is because of the formation of this particular modified protein, which acts kind of like chewing gum in the middle of the nerve cell."

"It's not a normal protein," she stressed. "It's very sticky, and any other proteins passing by get stuck to it, so you get all these abnormal things, these stones in the middle of the cell's highways, that are not being removed, and eventually the [brain] cells can't move things around as they should, and they die."

In an earlier effort, the same research team had found that mutant forms of alpha-synuclein -- as opposed to modified forms -- also block the desired breakdown of damaged nerve cell molecules. Such mutant proteins are present in the 5 percent to 10 percent of Parkinson's patients struck with a relatively rare, familial form of the disease.

"But the novelty of our work today is that the modified protein mechanism we found this time will apply to all Parkinson's patients," noted Cuervo. "And so it becomes possible that in the future we can design drugs to improve the function of the garbage containers, the lysosomes, in all Parkinson's patients, and maybe overcome the problem that these nerve cells have handling the modified molecules."

Cuervo and her Einstein colleagues conducted the study, based on laboratory work with male rats, in collaboration with scientists from Columbia University in New York City, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

The National Parkinson Foundation estimates that 1.5 million Americans are affected with Parkinson's disease, the most common degenerative brain disorder affecting movement.

The nerve damage that's characteristic of this incurable disease brings about a dramatic loss of muscle control, typically manifesting as tremors, stiffness, and a loss of balance and agility.

Though optimistic about her work, Cuervo emphasized that translating the latest findings into new preventive and curative interventions will require a lot more research and time.

"I want to be very cautious," she said. "We are far from a final cure. It's not something we can do tomorrow. It's going to take some time. But now we know what the problem is. And we think that we have something, a target, to focus on."

Nonetheless, Dr. Robert Burke, director of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence at Columbia University, called the new findings a "big step forward."

"Their first finding was only related to the mutant form of the protein which is very rare," he noted. "Whereas here they have shown that dopamine-modified neurons also block the system. This means they now have something that appears applicable to patients with the much more common sporadic form of Parkinson's. And that is very, very helpful."

SOURCES: Ana Maria Cuervo M.D., Ph.D, associate professor, department of anatomy and structural biology, Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, New York City; Robert Burke, M.D., director, Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Columbia University, New York City; Jan. 2, 2008, Journal of the Clinical Investigation online

Before You Get Pregnant

It's important to take care of yourself while you're pregnant. But you should begin caring for your body long before you confirm that you're expecting a baby.

Here are suggestions on how to prepare your body for pregnancy, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

* Eat a healthy, balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat.
* Start a regular exercise routine. You should get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week.
* Stick to a regular sleep schedule, to make sure you get plenty of rest every night.
* Take a daily multivitamin that includes 400 milligramns of folic acid.
* See your doctor for a physical exam, and make sure you're up-to-date on all vaccinations. Also talk to your doctor about whether any of your current medications may not be safe during pregnancy.
* Don't use illicit drugs, cigarettes or alcohol.