Starving breast cancer cells of nutrients

A research team led by Sydney’s Centenary Institute has discovered a significant link between breast cancer and nutrition — one which could lead to a new treatment aimed at ‘starving’ breast cancer cells.

Writing in the journal Oncogene, Associate Professor Jeff Holst and his team explain that they can stop breast cancer cells from growing by blocking the proteins that pump key nutrients into the tumour cells. Their method has proven to be effective in preventing the growth of melanoma, prostate cancer and breast cancer cells.

Associate Professor Holst said there is strong evidence to support a link between nutrition and cancer. He noted, “African and Asian women have significantly lower rates of breast cancer. However, upon moving to western nations and consuming the western diet, rates drastically increase.”

The key nutrient of interest in the Centenary study, glutamine, is abundant in meat and dairy products. As explained by Associate Professor Holst, “Many cancer cells rely on glutamine instead of glucose for the energy they need to divide and grow.”

While a change in diet will reduce glutamine levels, the nutrient is also produced naturally in the body. The Centenary Institute is thus working on drugs to block the nutrient pumps that allow glutamine to be absorbed by the cancer cells.

Associate Professor Holst said the team’s research also offers new hope for treating the highly aggressive ‘triple-negative’ subset of breast cancer. He said, “Not only did we find that triple-negative breast cancer cells have more glutamine pumps on their surface, but also that blocking these pumps stopped the tumours from growing.”

This study was conducted using cell and animal models. The Centenary Institute researchers are now working to develop drugs that can be used to block these pumps in humans.