Overview
- The Nature Communications study, published Monday, reports that some estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells persist by dividing at an ultra-slow rate through years of hormone therapy.
- These slow-cycling cells can seed tiny, hidden tumors that later trigger metastatic relapse after standard treatment.
- In preclinical tests, the cells still migrated and colonized organs such as bone and lung despite their slow growth.
- Researchers traced this state to increased P-Rex1/Rac1 signaling and used biosensor imaging to see Rac1 switch on inside live cells.
- Experimental Rac1 inhibitors reduced tumor size and number in patient-derived models, and the Caldon Lab plans studies to test preventive use in patients.