Estrogen has been shown to be involved in the development of many breast cancers. American researchers emphasize the role of a molecule capable of “ape” estrogen. Present in cholesterol, it would promote breast cancer. How? ‘Or’ What ? By a sort of mimicry. The molecule called 27HC then manages, like estrogen, to contribute to the growth of tumor cells in the breast. This was discovered by Philip Shaul, a pediatrician and biologist at the University of Texas, and Donald McDonnell, a biologist at the Duke Cancer Institute in North Carolina. Their results appeared in the scientific journals Cell Reports and Science.
Dr Mc Donnell shows that mice fed with fatty foods, therefore at risk of cholesterol, are more exposed to breast cancer. For his part, his colleague Dr Shaul confirms the role of 27HC in the occurrence of breast cancer. Based on patient samples from a hospital, he found that women with breast cancer have 3 times more 27HC in their healthy cells than healthy patients.
Another observation is that patients with the least amount of an enzyme capable of blocking the 27HC molecule in tumors have less chances of survival.
The benefit of treating your cholesterol
While the link between 27HC and cholesterol level remains unclear, these two studies suggest that cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins may reduce the effect of this molecule. Better still, it could be that these treatments can slow the progression of certain breast cancers. A hypothesis which remains to be demonstrated.
