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Irish researchers discover potential new way to treat one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer

If the new drug – APR-246 – is found to be effective at clinical trials it will have the potential to save lives.

IRISH SCIENTISTS HAVE found a potential way to treat one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.

Researchers from BREAST-PREDICT have shown that a new drug can help to prevent the growth of triple-negative breast cancer cells.

This type of cancer is often aggressive and difficult to treat. It tends to be more common in younger women.

If the new drug – APR-246 – is found to be effective at clinical trials it will have the potential to save lives.

More than 250 people are diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer each year in Ireland.

The type accounts for about one in six breast cancer cases globally.

The only form of drug treatment currently available for patients with this type of cancer is chemotherapy, which may not be effective for everyone.

The research was carried by PhD student Naoise Synnott, under the supervision of Professor Joe Duffy and Professor John Crown. It involved laboratory tests in combination with current chemotherapy treatments.

BREAST-PREDICT is an Irish Cancer Society Collaborative Cancer Research Centre.

The findings have recently been published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Commenting on the research, Naoise Synnott said that she decided to focus on triple-negative breast cancer for her research as it was clear that a lot of work needed to be done in the area.

“I decided to focus my BREAST-PREDICT research on triple-negative breast cancer because it was clear that work needed to be done to provide better and more targeted treatment for these patients,” she said.

I hope that the work of me and my colleagues in St Vincent’s and UCD will be a big step in providing better treatment and hope to future triple-negative breast cancer patients.

Cancer

Outcomes for patients with breast cancer has improved significantly in recent years.

Survival rates have increased to 85%. This is partly due to newer more personalised treatments that help to target certain “biomarkers” which are detectable in most strains of the disease in patients.

However, triple-negative breast cancers lack these targets and so are more difficult to target.

The research by Synnott and her colleagues showed that the new drug can target a mutation of the gene that occurs in about 80% of these triple-negative breast cancers.

The drug acts by correcting or neutralising the mutated gene, which can stop the growth of the cancer.

Head of research at the Irish Cancer Society, Dr Robert O’Connor, hailed the development as a significant milestone in the ongoing work of BREAST-PREDICT.

For more information on the work of the Irish Cancer Society visit www.cancer.ie

Read: ‘You can’t handle the truth’: Director of crisis pregnancy clinic stands by controversial claims

Read: Charity criticises Facebook after it deemed a breast cancer awareness video “offensive”

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    Aug 12th 2018, 8:47 PM

    A great footballer

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    Aug 12th 2018, 9:00 PM

    @Paul Carew: Different class

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    Aug 12th 2018, 9:20 PM

    @Paul Carew: too fond of the crack aswell though

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    Aug 12th 2018, 9:06 PM

    You scored 3 out of 10!
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    Aug 12th 2018, 9:33 PM

    @Just Some Guy: me to. Delighted

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    Nothing which is enough.

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    Aug 12th 2018, 10:38 PM

    10/10 Madonna “as close to art as pop music gets” Rolling Stone magazine ❤️

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    Aug 12th 2018, 9:13 PM

    In the last question, I got Marlon Brandon wrong! As no such person exists, I replied with this. Another stupid Journal click bait quiz?

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    Aug 12th 2018, 10:55 PM

    @Chris Avison: Well, you took the bait didn’t you? It worked.

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    Aug 12th 2018, 10:22 PM

    10 out of 10 :)

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    Aug 12th 2018, 9:49 PM

    Isnt that madonna the one that popped her chest at the super bowl ….in a sminky short’s accent

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    Aug 12th 2018, 11:40 PM

    Did crap but I guessed correctly in the last one so I’m taking it as victory

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    Aug 13th 2018, 11:29 AM

    Huh! 9/10, and i just realised i know all the words to Vogue.

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    Aug 13th 2018, 9:02 AM

    A great deal more than I want to

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    Aug 13th 2018, 10:29 AM

    in answer to the question – i know very little about madonna and wish i knew less…..

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    Aug 12th 2018, 11:53 PM

    3/10. Guessed all three. Silly me.

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    Aug 12th 2018, 10:55 PM

    I was going for what minute did he score the famous hand of god goal. Never came up. Sh*he. 0/10

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