2023-11-10 16:00:00
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According to estimates by the Spanish Association against Cancer, in 2022 they will be diagnosed in Spain around 34,740 new cases of breast cancer, which represents 30% of all diagnosed cases. Survival rates are generally high – around 90% – when the tumor is localized, but Dissemination of cancer cells and the appearance of metastasis complicates the prognosis. Doctors knew that one of the culprits of metastasis is a protein called MAF with an increased risk of developing metastasis, but the reason was unknown.
Gender inequality increases cancer mortality in women
Now, a team from Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona led by the researcher ICREA, (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies), Dr. Roger Gomis, has revealed the mechanism by which the MAF protein increases the risk of metastasis in patients with breast cancer, a discovery that represents a crucial step in understanding the molecular bases of this process and that could lead to new drugs that prevent the spread of cancer cells.
The study, published in the specialized journal Nature Cell Biology reveals how the MAF protein interacts and modifies the structure of the estrogen receptorand key element in the development of breast cancer. The action of this protein restructures the DNA and allows the activation of a series of genes that favor metastasis in response to this estrogen, which makes patients with a high level of MAF protein have a higher risk of developing metastases.
The key to avoiding this proliferation of cancer cells is to activate these genes, something that is achieved by inhibiting the KDM1A enzyme, responsible for epigenetic remodeling. The possibility of focusing the therapeutic target on this molecule opens new perspectives in the treatment of breast cancer.
IRBBarcelona/NCB GomisLAB
Image of the study of a MAF protein (in green), involved in breast cancer
Crucial discovery for young and premenopausal patients
Previous studies carried out by the same laboratory had already established a connection between increased MAF protein and resistance to treatment with bisphosphonates, the drug used to prevent breast cancer metastasis to the bone.
The detection of high levels of MAF has a double effect. On the one hand, it can predict the risk of metastasis. On the other hand, it allows focusing the therapeutic target on those patients who are less indicated for treatment with bisphosphonatesthat is, young patients, in whom this drug intended for bone metastasis can divert the metastasis to other organs, with consequent damage to the prognosis of the disease.
“This discovery represents a critical step in understanding how breast cancer spreads and opens new therapeutic opportunities for the 20% of patients who cannot benefit from bisphosphonate treatment,” explains Dr. Gomis, head of the laboratory of Control of Cancer Growth and Metastasis at IRB Barcelona and also group leader at the CIBER Cancer Center (CIBERONC).
The test to detect the MAF protein, now available
Through research carried out in Dr. Gomis’s laboratory, the MAF Test has been developed, a predictive tool available for breast cancer patients developed by Inbiomotion, a spin-off from IRB Barcelona and ICREA that allows us to identify patients with a higher risk of developing metastasis in breast cancer and makes it easier for oncologists to make informed decisions about the most appropriate treatment for each case.
In addition to early detection, researchers have already located a KDM1A inhibitor, currently in clinical trials that, if its effectiveness is confirmed, could be decisive in closing the path to metastasis, a giant step for the treatment of this disease.
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