BRITISH SCIENTISTS, in a major breakthrough, have found a gene which triggers the spread of an aggressive form of breast cancer.
The researchers at the Edinburgh University have identified the key role played by a specific gene, called C35, in helping HER2-positive breast cancer to spread to other parts of the body.
The discovery of the gene will help in the development of new drugs which could benefit patients suffering from breast cancers which become resistant to other treatments, according to the study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
In this type of cancer, the HER2 protein encourages the growth of cancer cells and this cancer represents about 20 per cent of all breast cancer cases.
“There are drugs in development which could potentially kill cancer cells which rely on this gene. They do this by disabling a protein associated with the gene, which stops it from working. It is thought this type of drug would therefore be a new treatment for HER2 positive breast cancer,” he said.
***
Vatican radio waves linked to cancer risks
Vatican City: A court-ordered study has found that electromagnetic waves beamed by Vatican Radio leave residents living near the station’s antennas at a higher risk of cancer, Italian media said on Wednesday.
“There has been an important, coherent and meaningful correlation between exposure to Vatican Radio’s structures and the risk of leukaemia and lymphoma in children,” the report said, according to the daily La Stampa. The report also warned of “important risks” of dying of cancer for people who had resided at least 10 years within a nine-km radius of the radio’s giant antenna towers near Cesano, some 20 km north of Rome.
The radio’s director, Federico Lombardi, disputed the report, saying: “Vatican Radio is astonished to hear the news on the results of the study.”
Lombardi, who is also the Vatican spokesman, added, “Vatican Radio has always observed international directives on electromagnetic emissions,” he said.
—AFP