CDRI scientists find new option to target deadliest subtype of breast cancer

According to the institute, the occurrence of breast cancer among Indian women is the highest in the world. In India, it is 18-31% against an average of 8-15% in the rest of the world.

A team of scientists at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow claims to have discovered a new function of cancer drug Tazemetostat that can be used in the treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), considered the deadliest among all breast cancer subtypes.

The team of scientists that conducted research on Tazemetostat use in TNBC therapy. (Sourced)

According to the institute, the occurrence of breast cancer among Indian women is the highest in the world. In India, it is 18-31% against an average of 8-15% in the rest of the world.

After six years of rigorous research, the team, under the direction of senior principal scientist Prof. Dipak Datta from the cancer biology division of CDRI, has pinpointed the molecular mechanisms underlying TNBC’s spread. “The current study, which was recently published in a peer-reviewed international journal, Nature Communications, discovers one of the therapeutic vulnerabilities of TNBC, which is the hyperactivation of epigenetic modulator EZH2 (Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2) (a gene that contributes to the growth of cancer),” Prof Datta said.

Unlike other breast cancer subtypes in which three hormone receptors (estrogen, progesterone, hormone epidermal) are targeted, TNBC is difficult to treat as it lacks these hormone receptors, he explained. Hence, commonly used anti-hormone therapies don’t work in the treatment of TNBC patients.

“Currently, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy are used for its treatment, which have their own consequences. Tazemetostat, used in treating other cancers, can be effective in stopping the spread of EZH2, which is higher in TNBC patients,” Prof Datta observed.

“We discovered that hyperactivation of EZH2 is critical for the spread of cancer from breast to liver and spleen, in our preclinical animal study. Additionally, we discovered that Tazemetostat’s inhibition of EZH2 significantly slows the spread of TNBC. Additional clinical trials may reveal to be a promising route for TNBC therapy,” Prof Datta said adding that the study was so far performed on animals and samples of patients of breast cancer that were collected from Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, Noida.

BOX: TNBC metastasizes faster

TNBC is said to be caused due to lifestyle changes, obesity, family history, high mitotic index, and BRCA1 gene mutations. Most patient mortality and morbidity, according to Prof. Datta, is caused by metastasis, or tumours spreading to distant organs. TNBC has a low five-year survival rate because it metastasizes faster. “Because patients with TNBC do not respond to conventional targeted therapies, hence use of Tazemetostat can help increase their life expectancy,” he said.

Image Caption:

Image 1: Professor Dipak Datta