New research takes aim at limiting progression of breast cancer

A recent study has revealed new insight on mitochondrial dynamics and its likely role in the metastatic progression of breast cancer – the most commonly-diagnosed cancer in women across the globe.

Shapeshifting mitochondria continually fuse and divide, but precisely how those dynamics influence metastatic progression has been unknown.

The research, published in Science Advances, suggests that promoting mitochondrial elongation in cancer cells limits their ability to metastasize.

The finds may lead to new treatments to prevent breast cancer progression.

Dr Julie St-Pierre is  a postdoctoral fellow at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine.

The researcher said: “Our results suggest that inducing a fused mitochondrial network in breast cancer cells limits their ability to metastasize.

“This is exciting because metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with cancer.”

The study’s first author is Dr. Lucía Minarrieta.

She said: “When we analyzed the mitochondrial morphology of different breast cancer cell lines, we observed that those with lower metastatic potential tend to have longer mitochondria.

“This suggests that a fragmented mitochondrial network could be associated with more aggressive presentations of the disease,” Dr. Minarrieta says.

With the help of this common elongation signature acting as a sort of a measuring stick, the investigators were able to observe that a higher mitochondrial elongation score was associated with better outcomes in patients with breast cancer.

That includes those with more aggressive subtypes.

Dr St-Pierre said: “We believe that promoting mitochondrial elongation in breast cancer cells could be used during the initial course of treatment to prevent metastatic reoccurrence in the long run.

Metastatic breast cancer often develops after individuals complete therapy for their initial diagnosis and live cancer-free for a time, the researcher added:

In addition to targeting mitochondrial fission proteins by genetic manipulation in the lab, the team also identified a potentially promising way of inducing elongation in mitochondria using an antirheumatic drug called leflunomide.

Marketed under the brand name Arava among others, the drug is approved by the FDA and Health Canada.

Dr St-Pierre said: “We would like to explore further the translational aspect of these findings.

“Eventually, it would be important to perform clinical trials to test the impact of leflunomide on metastasis in cancer patients.”