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The problem of radiation treatment also causing breast cancer

Radiation generates cancer stem cells from less aggressive breast cancer cells UCLA Newsroom, By Kim Irwin February 14, 2012 Breast cancer stem cells, thought to be the sole source of tumor recurrence, are known to be resistant to radiation therapy and don’t respond well to chemotherapy.

Now, researchers with the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center report for the first time that radiation treatment, despite killing half of all tumor cells during every treatment, transforms other cancer cells into treatment-resistant breast cancer stem cells.

The generating of these breast cancer stem cells counteracts the otherwise highly efficient radiation treatment…… “We found that
these induced breast cancer stem cells (iBCSC) were generated by
radiation-induced activation of the same cellular pathways used to
reprogram normal cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in
regenerative medicine,” said Pajonk, who also is a scientist with the
Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine at UCLA. “It was
remarkable that these breast cancers used the same reprogramming
pathways to fight back against the radiation treatment.”

The study was published Feb. 13 in the early online edition of the
peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells.

“Controlling the radiation resistance of breast cancer stem cells and
the generation of new iBCSC during radiation treatment may ultimately
improve curability and may allow for de-escalation of the total
radiation doses currently given to breast cancer patients, thereby
reducing acute and long-term adverse effects,” the study states…..
Pajonk stressed that breast cancer patients should not be alarmed by
the study findings and should continue to undergo radiation if
recommended by their oncologists.

“Radiation is an extremely powerful tool in the fight against breast
cancer,” he said. “If we can uncover the mechanism driving this
transformation, we may be able to stop it and make the therapy even
more powerful.”

The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the California
Breast Cancer Research Program and the U.S. Department of
Defense……. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/radiation-treatments-generate-229002.aspx

February 17, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA