The cancer , a condition that affects millions of people in the world actually is a set of more than 100 diseases that cause the irregular growth of cells that are able to invade body tissues.
Some types of the disease may take time to cause symptoms to patients, and in these cases, it is only after what doctors call metastasis that the disease is diagnosed.
Read more: Including nuts in your diet may inhibit breast cancer
Metastasis, basically, is when the cancer spreads through the bloodstream and the lymphatic vessels to areas other than the one where it started, increasing the risks to the patient.
However, a study may have discovered a new drug for treatment, which may decrease the chances of tumors invading another part of the body.
Based on the cells of the SIX1 / EYA body, the scientists revealed that a compound, whose name has not yet been defined, is capable of reducing the chances of metastases.
The study consisted of tests on mice with breast cancer .
Effects of SIX1 / EYA
According to the study’s authors, the way the compound acts in the body has not yet been fully understood, but it triggers several reactions.
Metastasis only happens with the help of a biological process called EMT, which is basically when cells come off and interact with other parts of the body, such as membranes.
The relationship is quite complex, as there are several factors involved and several cells participating in the metastasis process.
However, the study pointed out that the SIX1 / EYA genes participate in the formation of healthy tissues in the body.
Errors in the organism can cause these genes to continue producing tissue cells even when the structure is already fully formed.
In general, these cells produced must be stuck or adhered to the tissue of which they are part. However, when there is an interaction of the SIX1 genes with the EYA, the activation of mechanisms that release the cells occurs.
That is, they fall into the bloodstream and become capable of metastasizing. It is believed, then, that the role of the researched drug is exactly to stop this process of loosening the cells of the original tissues.
Read more: Breast cancer metastasis: the light may be to blame
The results of the study cited in the news above are just data for yet another breakthrough in cancer research.
Further studies are needed so that, based on these recent findings, scientists can help patients suffering from this condition.
