Cancer Research: Breast Cancer Gene Discovered, PIPP Gene Triggers Spread [Study]

Breast cancer is a serious illness that has plagued women worldwide. In fact, according to BreastCancer.Org, in the U.S., breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women besides skin cancer. Moreover, this year, 40,290 women in the U.S. are expected to die because of it.

While women struggle to be free from this malignant condition, several research studies have been done to find solutions or reduce breast cancer cases. A new study done by Melbourne researchers discovered a particular gene, called the PIPP gene, which triggers the spread of breast cancer, according to ABC News.

The PIPP gene normally suppresses tumors; however, when breast cancer forms, it triggers cancer to disperse to the other parts of the body, The Sydney Morning Herald has learned.

According to ABC News, the study started with Lauren Binge, a Ph.D. student who spent eight years studying breast cancer after her grandmother contracted the said illness. Binge shared that her family has a history of breast cancer, and she was interested in its molecular mechanism, as to how a normal cell turns to a cancer cell.

Binge handed her research to the lead author of the paper, Dr. Lisa Ooms, who believed that it is crucial to study the spread of breast cancer. 

"It's important because breast cancer metastasis, or spread, is the leading cause of breast cancer death," Dr. Ooms said. "So understanding how breast cancer grows and spreads is really important for patients in the future."

The report suggests that when researchers removed the PIPP gene from mice prone to breast cancer, the tumour grew but cancer cells did not spread, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

"We have very good treatments for the primary tumour, but the biggest killer in breast cancer is that when it spreads beyond the primary tumour it can become a real challenge in terms of treatment" said Christina Mithell, Dean of Medicine at Monash University and lead researcher.

Mitchell added that inhibiting this gene can potentially decrease the spread of cancer cells to the bones or liver.

Dr. Ooms admitted that when the PIPP gene was active, it worked with another gene to cause the cancer cells to diffuse. There are already separate clinical trials under way to analyze the pathway of the cancer spread involving the said gene, and the team is watching it closely.

Mitchell added that treatment could be helped if PIPP's role was detected early and identifying its involvement might be necessary for the prognosis. However, she stressed that the gene's involvement in humans had not been observed yet, and additional work was necessary to study its interaction.