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In recent years, efforts have been made to develop targeted therapeutics for cancer treatment.
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© Ghislaine Escourrou Trastuzumab, a targeted weapon thwarted by fat cells Note that at the invasive front, tumor and adipose tissue are in contact (indicated by stars). Histological examination of an invasive breast tumor after H&E staining (original magnification X 200). In breast cancer, early local tumor invasion results in immediate proximity of cancer cells to adipose tissue. This may explain the decreased survival rates observed in obese breast cancer patients despite supposedly adequate treatment plans. The current paper presents a compelling hypothesis on the role adipose tissue may play in response to anti-cancer treatments, protecting tumor cells from their toxic effects. Hence, studying the effect of fat cells on disease progression is of a major interest in medicine, especially for the treatment of obese patients. Obese breast cancer patients exhibit at diagnosis more aggressive tumors and disease progression is marked by a much higher rate of mortality. In obesity, not only the size and number, but also the secretions of adipocytes are profoundly impacted. Recently, numerous studies have shown that adipocytes and their progenitors promote breast cancer aggressiveness by stimulating proliferation and, especially, invasion by secreting proteases, pro-inflammatory cytokines and by modulating cancer cell metabolism. Thus, when breast cancer becomes invasive, it comes into direct contact with fatty tissue. In the breast, adipose tissue is particularly abundant and surrounds the mammary glands.
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© Ghislaine Escourrou Adipose tissue and breast cancer: A dangerous dynamic duo Note that mature white adipocytes have a single lipid droplet (in white), which essentially occupies the fat cell volume surrounded by a reduced rim of cytoplasm. Histological examination of normal mammary adipose tissue after Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining (original magnification X 400). Among these other cells there are fibroblasts, endothelial cells and macrophages as well as adipocyte progenitors (adipose-derived stem cells, preadipocytes) that support the renewal of adipose tissue. We now know it has other very active functions: it produces and secretes many biomolecules such as hormones, growth factors and proinflammatory cytokines, a group of molecules named adipokines.Īdipose tissue also contains other cells that are less abundant than adipocytes and barely visible on tissue sections. However, an adipocyte is not only a passive “fat reservoir”. Their main function is to maintain an energy balance by storing excess fat and releasing it when needed in the form of fatty acids. These globular cells contain a single large lipid vacuole (made up of triglycerides). Fatty tissue’s crimes on cancer continue to mount up, yet, it seemed so innocent to begin with! Adipose tissue: Under a seemingly docile exterior lies a highly active tissueĪt first glance, adipose tissue seems to be a rather monotonous tissue, comprised mostly of adipocytes, fat-storing cells. In an article published in Breast Cancer Research, Charles Dumontet’s team from the Cancer Research Center in Lyon show that the adipose tissue surrounding breast cancer increases resistance to trastuzumab (or Herceptin), a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting the oncogene HER-2.