Partnering with health professionals and researchers is central to the work we do at LBCUK from identifying and developing the research, ensuring the inclusion of the patient voice and dissemintating the latest reseach findings.
We were delighted to receive this summary of recent research conducted by researcher Rachael Natrajan, Consultant Oncologist Professor Elly Sawyer and pathology clinical fellow Sarah Nash at the Institute of Cancer Research.
We have been looking at the features of aggressive lobular breast cancers and identified that these tumours are underpinned by differences in the make-up of non-tumour (immune) cells that are present in the lobular cancer. In particular we have found that a certain type of non-tumour cell, which in healthy tissues have a role in eliminating diseased and damaged cells, are particularly abundant in aggressive lobular cancers. These don’t act in the way they should and actually promote cancer growth. By identifying these “bad” non-tumour cells in some lobular cancers means we can predict which women will not respond well to standard treatments. Moreover new drugs that can eliminate these cells are available, and could offer a new therapeutic opportunity for aggressive lobular breast cancers once tested in clinical trials.
We look forward to hearing how the research develops.
Congratulations to Sarah too who passed her PhD after completing this research. You can read more on the ICR website