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Researchers from Clarkson University in New York, USA, came to this conclusion by conducting a study on a small group of women. They hope that their work may lead to the development of a screening test. This work was presented during the Experimental Biology 2022 congress, which was held from April 2 to 5 in Philadelphia.
Breast cancer is very common in women. To detect it, mammograms should be performed preventively every two years for women aged 50 to 74 or earlier in case of particular risk. However, scientists hope to develop a screening test for the disease in women not affected by this systematic screening.
protein in breast milk
The American researchers therefore launched a study on a small group of women, six in total, three of whom were affected by invasive ductal carcinoma, a very common type of breast cancer. All were breastfeeding. The scientists therefore had the idea of studying a sample of their breast milk, and it was noticed that the sick women had similar levels for 23 specific proteins, compared to those who were not sick.
The same proteins are detectable in the blood
The interest of this discovery could be limited if it was confined to new mothers or breastfeeding women. However, according to one of the authors, Danielle Whitham, “cproteins are also detectable in the blood”. If the results of this study are confirmed on a larger scale, “screening could potentially be performed in women of any age”adds Danielle Whitham.
Indeed, a blood test would be simpler and safer to perform in all women, unlike mammograms which are generally not recommended in young women at low risk of cancer because of the radiation to which they are exposed.
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Results still to be confirmed
The researchers now wish to extend their work to a larger number of participants, in order to confirm their results. For Danielle Whitman, “If our future studies are successful, it could change the way women are screened for breast cancer and help with earlier diagnosis. It might even lead to a higher survival rate in women.”.
Remember that in France, breast cancer screening concerns just over 4 million women, in the 50 to 74 age group, every two years, by invitation by mail. Breast cancer affects around one in eight women, and more than 2.2 million women were affected by this disease in 2020.