Related Recent study of cutaneous melanoma cancer cells reveal important new relationships between fat cells and tumors. This is particularly important for studying breast cancer. Jeremy Williams, postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco, is the corresponding author for this study. It shows how aggressive cancer cells can hijack muscular fatty acids from adjacent adipocytes to energize their spread. These unexpected findings might drive new treatment strategies as well as a better understanding of mechanisms driving tumor formation.
Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for approximately 15% of all breast cancers. It presents novel challenges to both patients and medical practitioners. Dr. Julia McGuinness, a breast cancer specialist, emphasized the importance of this research. She is a department of medicine associate professor at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. It’s the first demonstration of a mechanism that explains the link between fat and cancer,” she said. This connection has never been truer. Obesity has traditionally been viewed through a singular lens of risk for the development of, or mortality from, breast cancer.
These results, which illustrate how aggressive cancer cells can hijack alternative nutrient sources, are promising. This capacity is what allows them to prosper and flourish. “And these tumors were metabolically burning fatty acids as a source of energy,” Williams elaborated. He emphasized the need to understand the sources of these fatty acids. “That seemed like the highest leverage, kind of urgent question to be asking,” he explained.
In investigating this phenomenon, scientists found that tumor cells that breast cancers can signal neighboring fat cells to release lipids. This mechanism gives tumors the means to tap into an abundant and essential energy source, fueling their growth. Williams explained that slowing down this process means delaying finding new ways to treat patients. If they can find a way to prevent tumors from moving into surrounding fat tissue, these biomedical engineers might just change the course of cancer treatment forever. That discovery could unlock cures for the disease’s most lethal strains,” he continued.
The implications of this research go far beyond breast cancer. The research suggests that the same mechanisms may be at work in other cancer types. These cancers rely on fat as an energy source. Justin Balko, the Ingram professor of cancer research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, pointed out the potential for treatment advancements. They discovered a whole new mechanism by which cancer grows and feeds itself,” he said. He highlighted that if some effects observed in the study are translated to human patients, it could alter treatment approaches significantly.
Balko sounded a similar alarm with an eye toward more research. He emphasized, “This is important because, for instance, we don’t actually understand whether this is a key mechanism by which breast cancer develops in people. Determining if this metabolic strategy is common among human cancers will be important to informing future therapeutic efforts.
Breast cancer disproportionately affects Black women as well as younger women under the age of 40. Advancing treatment and deepening our understanding is critically important—particularly for these groups. Breast cancer is one of the cancers that is more likely to recur than many others. This underscores the urgent need for transformative research and breakthrough therapies.
