Breast cancer ‘can be tamed’

A groundbreaking discovery holds out the hope of taming deadly non-hormone sensitive breast cancers.

In laboratory tests, Swedish scientists succeeded in transforming the aggressive tumour cells so that they become responsive to hormone therapy.

They used an experimental drug to block a signalling molecule that transmits information between breast cancer cells and surrounding connective tissue.

Detailed analysis of around 1,400 breast cancers showed that women with high levels of the signalling molecule, PDGFCC, in their tumours had a poor prognosis.