Almost all cells need iron to grow. Now, researchers have identified a link between the body's system for regulating iron and breast cancer. The discovery could help doctors predict the course of breast cancer disease and even help them decide the most appropriate treatment.
几乎所有的细胞都需要铁质才能成长。现在，专家确认了人体内调节铁质的系统与乳腺癌的关联。这个发现可以帮助医生预测乳腺癌的病程发展，甚至帮助他们确定最佳治疗方案。
Iron is a vital nutrient, but too much iron can be harmful. Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, looked at a certain protein that regulates iron and studied the amount of it in breast cancer cells.
铁质是一种重要的养分，但是铁质过多则有害。维克森林大学的研究人员对一种调节铁质的蛋白质进行研究，了解它在乳腺肿瘤细胞中的含量。
"And what we found is that a protein called ferroportin that removes iron from cells, that eliminates iron from cells, was markedly reduced in breast cancers when compared to normal breast cells. And in fact was most reduced in the most aggressive breast cancers," said Frank Torti, who led the research team.
这个研究项目的负责人法兰克·托提说：“我们发现，一种叫做运铁素(Ferroportin)的蛋白质会把细胞中的铁质带走，消除细胞中的铁质。乳腺肿瘤细胞里的运铁素含量远低于正常的乳腺细胞，最严重的恶性乳癌细胞中运铁素减少的最多。”
They found that ferroportin levels were a good predictor of the course of the cancer, specifically whether breast cancer survivors would have a recurrence of the disease.
他们发现，运铁素是乳腺癌症愈后诊断的一个很好的指标，特别是可以用来预测乳腺癌存活者未来是否会复发。
"When ferroportin was high, women did well, and when ferroportin was low, women did poorly."
托提说：“运铁素含量较高，患者的健康状况较好，运铁素含量降低，患者的健康状况恶化。”
The predictive power of ferroportin is still just a laboratory finding, but Torti says it suggests a possible novel approach to cancer therapy.
对运铁蛋白质预测力的研究还在实验阶段，不过托提说，这显示，可能找到治疗癌症的新手段。
"I think that our study points to ferroportin as a target for the development of cancer drugs. In other words, we and others will be looking at ways to raise ferroportin in cancer cells, and that might be an important target for breast cancer treatment and eventually a treatment that can be used in patients."
“我想，我们的研究指出了将运铁素作为研制癌症药物的目标。换句话说，我们或是其他人将寻找方法增加肿瘤细胞中运铁素的含量，这可能是乳腺癌治疗中一个重要的目标，最终用于临床治疗。”
Wake Forest University professor Frank Torti was interviewed by the journal Science Translational Medicine, which published his findings in their online edition.
《科学转化医学》对法兰克托提教授进行了专访并在最新一期刊登了他的研究成果。 |