MD Anderson Maps More Than 850,000 Cells Around Stage 0 Breast Cancer, Finding Invasive Features Emerge Earlier Than Thought
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Harris County, Texas, announced on November 12 that they have created one of the most detailed maps to date of the cell environment surrounding ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the most common form of preinvasive, or stage 0, breast cancer. The findings, published the same day in Science, suggest that biological features associated with invasive breast cancer begin to emerge earlier than previously known.
DCIS occurs when abnormal cells grow inside the breast milk ducts but have not yet spread into surrounding tissue. Mammograms and other breast examinations have increased the detection of DCIS cases, but many of these lesions never progress to invasive disease, making it challenging to determine which patients need more aggressive treatment and which may safely avoid unnecessary treatment.
The study was co-led by Nicholas Navin, Ph.D., chair of Systems Biology at MD Anderson; Savitri Krishnamurthy, M.D., professor of Anatomical Pathology; and Alastair Thompson, M.D., a surgical oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine, with Siyuan He, Ph.D., and Aatish Thennavan, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellows in Systems Biology, as co-first authors. Using advanced single-cell and spatial profiling technologies, the team mapped more than 850,000 cells from samples of normal breast tissue, DCIS and invasive breast cancer, identifying extensive changes in the cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment as disease progressed. The study also uncovered previously unknown 'cancer stromal loops,' ring-like structures made of supportive tissue and vascular cells that surround DCIS lesions and create conditions that support tumor growth.
'DCIS is considered a snapshot before breast cancer becomes invasive, but not all DCIS cases progress to invasive disease, and the biology surrounding these lesions has been challenging to examine,' Navin said. 'This atlas reveals the surrounding cells and structures that may help disease become invasive. In the future, these findings may allow clinicians to better identify and treat patients with DCIS who are at higher risk of invasive progression while also avoiding unnecessary treatments for those at low risk.'
The researchers said additional research is needed to validate the findings and evaluate their potential use in future diagnostic tools and prevention or treatment strategies. The research was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the Vivian L. Smith Foundation and UT MD Anderson institutional funding.
(Source: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)
Source: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乳腺导管原位癌（DCIS）伴钙化的病理组织切片图像。照片：Ed Uthman，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Histology image of breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with calcifications. Photo: Ed Uthman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
