Science and Health

Breast milk cells may someday help predict cancer

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-05 14:24

LOS ANGELES - A woman's breast milk cells may be used to predict cancer in future research, according to a study published by HealthDay News on Monday.

In the study, researchers at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst collected breast milk from 271 women in the United States. All had either undergone a biopsy of the breast to check for cancer, or were scheduled for one.

The researchers evaluated breast milk samples from the biopsied and non-biopsied breasts.

The researchers first isolated potentially cancerous cells, known as epithelial cells, and then isolated DNA to look for signals that regulate tumor suppresser genes.

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In the next step, the researchers analyzed three genes among the many known to undergo a process called methylation in breast cancer. Methylation in a specific region of a gene can inhibit or suppress the expression of a gene.

For one gene, SFRP1, the average methylation was higher in the biopsied breast, the study found.

Among the women whose biopsies detected cancer, average methylation of the RASSF1 gene in the biopsied breast was considerably higher compared to the non-biopsied breast.

Among the women whose biopsies detected cancer, average methylation of the RASSF1 gene in the biopsied breast was considerably higher compared to the non-biopsied breast.

"It looks as if we can use the cells from breast milk to assess breast cancer risk," said Dr. Kathleen Arcaro, an associate professor of veterinary and animal sciences at the university.

It's too soon, however, to assess the cancer detection rate associated with breast milk cell examination, she said.

"We can't say at this point for two reasons," she said. "One is, we need long-term follow-up. And the second really important reason is, we need to sample a larger panel of genes."

Arcaro is to present her findings later Monday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Orlando, Florida, according to HealthDay News.