Clinical study confirms tissue stiffening in breast cancer can drive metastasis
Researchers evaluated tissues for fibrosis using a University of Arizona invention that is the core technology for startup MeCo Diagnostics.
University of Arizona Cancer Center member Ghassan Mouneimne, PhD, says he is hopeful the new study is a step closer to the MeCo Score gaining U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval as a diagnostic tool, so it could be used to help people with breast cancer.
Joshua Elz, University of Arizona Cancer Center
A study published in Clinical Cancer Research confirmed that tissue stiffening in the most common types of breast cancer, HER2-negative, can directly cause disease progression and metastasis, leading to detrimental outcomes for patients. The work was a collaboration between researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences and clinicians in Spain.
Researchers led by Miguel Quintela-Fandino, MD, at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center evaluated the MeCo Score, a diagnostic test invented at the University of Arizona, and determined that it can potentially predict the likelihood of relapse or recurrence among patients with early-stage breast cancer.
The previous work identifying the link between fibrosis and advanced stages of breast cancer provided the mechanistic basis for developing the MeCo Score and led to the launch of MeCo Diagnostics LLC, a startup working to advance the technology so it can be used in the clinic.
Read the complete story at https://news.arizona.edu/news/clinical-study-confirms-tissue-stiffening-breast-cancer-can-drive-metastasis