New therapies to stop the deadly progression of breast cancer - which kills 1,000 women in Scotland - in its tracks could stem from a fresh study into the disease, according to scientists.
A team at Edinburgh University found that blocking those signals in mice with breast cancer "greatly reduces" the number of secondary tumours found in the lungs. They claim to have discovered a trigger that allows breast cancer cells to spread to the lungs.
Researchers at the university's MRC Centre for Reproductive Health found breast cancer cells need the support of macrophages to invade the lungs and set up secondary tumours. But these require signalling molecules called chemokines to communicate with the cells.
When blocked in mice, the number of secondary tumours in the lungs was reduced by up to two-thirds.
Centre director Professor Jeffrey Pollard said: "Our findings open the door to the development of treatments that target the tumour microenvironment, which may stop the deadly progression of breast cancer in its tracks."
Australian researchers recently found that tiny radioactive balls, fired at tumours, dramatically hinder their growth.
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