Researchers have identified link between breast cancer metastases, inflammatory arthritis

Researchers have identified a link between the chronic inflammatory condition arthritis and breast cancer-associated metastasis, according to the results of a preclinical study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012. The results indicate inflammatory cells known as mast cells play a key role in the increase of metastasis in mouse models with arthritis and interfering with these mast cells reduces the occurrence of bone and lung metastases. Further research showed that the stem cell factor/c-Kit signaling, which activates mast cells, was increased in arthritic mice. “We already have data that show that women with breast cancer and arthritis have lower survival as compared with women with breast cancer and no arthritis,” Lopamudra Das Roy, who conducted the study, said. “This research indicates that we may be able to design a therapy to block SCF/c-Kit signaling, which could help reduce metastases to the bone and lungs.”