Blood supply to aggressive breast tumours could be cut off

The head of vascular biology laboratory at UniSA’s Centre for Cancer Biology believes that aggressive breast cancer cells could be ‘starved’, leading to better survival rates.

Associate Professor Claudine Bonder and her team are working on cutting off the blood supply to a protein present in aggressive breast cancer cells.

“For any tumour to grow including breast cancer cells they need access to blood supply for oxygen and nutrients,” Prof. Bonder told the Adelaide Advertiser.

“We are trying to stop cancer cells from accessing the blood supply so they can’t grow – if we can stop small tumours from spreading by inhibiting the blood vessels we can stop patients dying.”

The five-year survival rate for breast cancer has risen from 76 percent to 90 percent since 1994.

However, women are warned not to be complacent about breast health, with regular breast screens the best way of monitoring for any changes. Early detection gives women the best chances of successful treatment and recovery.

You can read more about the work of Prof. Bonder and her team, here.