A huge supply of fuel
Previously, a research team proved that fatty particles in the bloodstream help in the growth of breast cancer cells. But recently it has been proved that the fat particles bind to the breast cancer cells. Such fat particles are engulfed by them leading to a huge supply of fuel that drives the proliferation of the cancer cells.
There’s a greater risk of breast cancer in the cases of high-fat diet consumption and obesity. Due to this, there is also the worst outcomes and prognosis of patients.
New mechanism of the cancer cells
The cancer cells are usually take up large quantities of fat-derived particles from the lipid-rich substances circulating in the bloodstream. The particles then tend to bind the cell surface and the cells take the particles into them by a novel mechanism. This is the new recent finding saying “Endocytosis of very-low-density lipoproteins; an unexpected mechanism for acquisition by breast cancer cells.”
The previous study showed that the fat particles may be a contributing factor for the growth of breast cancer cells. But the new study proves a direct connection between dietary fat and cancer cell biology. The cancer cells can engulf large amounts of fats from the bloodstream. This occurs through an unexpected mechanism of fat particle uptake known as endocytosis of lipoproteins.
There’s a lot of research going on the drugs that can be used to inhibit fat synthesis in order to kill the breast cancer cells by simply taking up more exogenous fat particles. Also, there’s a large focus on the manufacture of new fat by cancer cells as a therapeutic target.
Few facts about breast cancer (source: https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org)
- In 2019, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. as well as 62,930 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
- 62% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a localized stage, for which the 5-year survival rate is 99%.
- 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.