CANCER RESEARCH UK funded scientists have discovered why some
breast cancers are resistant to the commonly used drug
tamoxifen, their findings are published in Cancer Research.
Tamoxifen is given to most women for around five years after
they are diagnosed with breast cancer to help prevent the
disease from coming back. Some women gradually develop
resistance to the treatment meaning their cancer is more likely
to return. This discovery could lead to new drugs that
counteract this resistance. The team of scientists in the
Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of
Cancer Research (ICR) found that when a gene called FGFR1 is
turned on too much it causes resistance to tamoxifen and other
hormone treatments. When stimulated in this way breast cancer
cells no longer rely on hormones to grow rapidly and spread,
making hormone treatments like tamoxifen less effective. Around
a tenth of breast cancers have too much of the FGFR1 gene and
these patients are more likely to see their cancer return af