Strong obesity promotes the development of breast cancer

Overweight weight loss can lower breast cancer risk
The risk of contracting an aggressive form of breast cancer is high if you suffer from severe overweight (obesity). Certain messengers that are released into the blood due to obesity disrupt the metabolism of breast cancer cells. This in turn increases the risk of breast cancer, as reported by a team of researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, the Technische Universität München (TUM) and the Heidelberg University Hospital. A recent study could uncover the connection. Conversely, it can be said that losing weight also reduces the risk of aggressive breast cancer.

Obese people are at higher risk for more aggressive breast cancer. This is the conclusion reached by researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, the Technische Universität München (TUM) and the Heidelberg University Hospital. The background: messengers that are released into the blood in obesity affect the metabolism of breast cancer cells.

Obesity promotes the development of breast cancer. (Image: WavebreakMediaMicro / fotolia.com)

In the current study, scientists describe a previously unknown mechanism that makes breast cancer more prevalent. "The enzyme ACC1 plays a key role here," explains Mauricio Berriel Diaz, Deputy Director of the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer at Helmholtz Zentrum München.

"ACC1 is a key component of fatty acid synthesis. However, it can be prevented by the messengers leptin and TGF-beta in his work, "said Berriel Diaz. These messengers are particularly common in the blood of severely overweight people. The experts were able to show that this inhibition of ACC1 causes acetyl-CoA, a fatty acid precursor, to accumulate in the cells and activate certain gene switches (transcription factors). As a result, especially genes are read that lead to increased metastasis in cancer cells.

"Using human tissue from breast cancer metastases, we were able to show that ACC1 was significantly less active there," says Marcos Rios Garcia, lead author of the study. Blocked the researchers with the previously unknown signaling pathway with an antibody, this led to a significantly reduced spread and metastasis of breast cancer tumors. New therapies in focus The data could confirm the new mechanism in further studies.

In addition, the scientists think about possible screws that could be used therapeutically. "The blockade of the above-mentioned signaling pathways or the switching off of the metastasis genes could represent a therapeutic target," study director Stephan Herzig of the TUM predicts: "Within the scope of a so-called neo-adjuvant therapy, the risk of metastases or of the tumor could be reduced even before the surgical removal of the tumor Reduce recurrence of tumors. "(Sb)