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New research has been published showing fish oils are particularly helpful for the most deadly form of breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer. This further adds to the argument for use of fish oils in breast cancer treatment. Please see my previous post, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Breast Cancer, for a an overview. The words below are not my own, but state easily what this new research is expressing. It's important to note that the research is still being done in a lab with cells, not in humans with cancer. It is unlikely that we would see the same 90% reduction they quote in their study.
New data suggests that omega-3 fatty acids and their metabolite products slow or stop the proliferation or growth of cancer cells, but are especially effective at blocking the growth of triple-negative breast cancer cells. Led by Thomas Pogash from Fox Chase Cancer Center, USA, the team found that the omega-3s worked against all types of cancerous cells, but the effect was observed to be stronger in triple-negative cell lines – where it reduced proliferation by as much as 90%.
Pogash said the findings underscores the important role common compounds found in food may play in keeping cancer at bay: "Diet can play a critical role in breast cancer prevention,” he said. "When you compare a western diet to a Mediterranean diet, which has more omega-3s, you see less cancer in the Mediterranean diet. They eat much more fish."
The research findings, presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, assessed omega-3 fatty acids ability to inhibit the growth of the four lines of breast cancer cells that are generally recognized. Two of those, luminal A and luminal B, grow in the luminal cells that line milk ducts in the breast and have receptors for estrogen and progesterone, while a third category includes tumors that test positive for the HER2 receptor.
Tumors in the fourth category, triple-negative, lack receptors for progesterone, estrogen, and a protein called HER2/neu - as a result, this type of disease is insensitive to some cancer treatments like trastuzumab, which disrupts the HER2 receptor, and tamoxifen, which targets the estrogen receptor.
The authors noted that no targeted therapies are currently available for patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer: "This type of cancer, which is found more frequently in Latina and African-American women, is highly aggressive and has a low survival rate," said Dr Jose Russo – who also worked on the study. "There is not any specific treatment for it."
Russo, Pogash, and their colleagues tested the effect of large omega-3 parent molecules, as well as their smaller metabolic derivatives, on three luminal cell lines and seven lines that included basal-type triple-negative cells. They found that omega-3 and its metabolites inhibited proliferation in all cell lines, but the effect was dramatically more pronounced in the triple-negative cell lines.
In addition, the metabolites of omega-3 reduced motility by between 20% and 60% in the triple-negative basal cell lines, they said.”
[Volume #101 May 10, 2013 3Care Therapeutics]
DISCLAIMER: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. There are no financial ties to any supplement companies, pharmaceutical companies, or to any of the products mentioned in this post. This post is not meant to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose conditions or diseases and is meant for educational purposes. As always, please consult your doctor before trying any new treatments or supplements.
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