Cancer breakthrough

A breakthrough in breast cancer research could change the way patients are treated. A New Zealand-led study has found a cancer-related protein can be used to decide whether each patient should have hormone treatment, or chemotherapy. Work at AUT, as well as in the UK, Singapore and China, has centred on a protein named SHON (secreted hominoid-specific oncogene), which is related to some types of breast cancer. The Health Research Centre helped fund the study and CEO Kath McPherson says there’s a lot of excitement about the discovery. She says it doubles the level of accuracy in predictions.