απολύτως απαραίτητο.
Όχι μόνο γιατί προσφέρει ευχαρίστηση, αλλά και για λόγος υγείας παρακαλώ.
Δεν το λέμε εμείς, το λένε σε έρευνά τους το πανεπιστήμιο Berkeleyκαι το εργαστήριο Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory!
Αμα τα ζουλάς τα στήθη, τα καρκινικά κύτταρα τραβάνε τόσο μεγάλο ζόρι που υποχωρούν ενώ ενίοτε εξαφανίζονται κιόλας.
Το πανεπιστήμιο δεν συνιστά ακόμη το ζούληγμα ως αποτελεσματική θεραπεία, αλλά στη σχετική ανακοίνωση παραδέχεται ότι την κάνει τη δουλειά του:
«Όπως βοηθάει η γυμναστική τους μυς να αναπτυχθούν, όπως βοηθάει η βαρύτητα τα κόκαλα, έτσι και η πίεση μπορεί να παίξει ρόλο στον περιορισμό των καρκινικών κυττάρων.»
ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΟΥΝ ΕΝΔΙΚΤΙΚΕΣ ΘΕΡΡΑΠΕΥΤΙΚΕΣ ΑΣΚΗΣΕΙΣ"
(ακολουθούν φωτογραφίες, που δεν είναι απαραίτητες)
Αυτά λέει ένα μήνυμα που κυκλοφορεί ευρέως τον τελευταίο καιρό στα social media, αλλά δυστυχώς, ο καρκίνος του μαστού δεν είναι πλάκα.
Όμως, το κείμενο δεν ανήκει στην κατηγορία της "μούφας"!
Πράγματι, η έρευνα είναι υπαρκτή. Μόνο που χρησιμοποιεί λάθος εκφράσεις, για να γίνει πιό "πιασάρικη", με αποτέλεσμα, να διακωμωδηθεί.
Διαβάστε την, διαβάστε και τον αντίλογο.
Η έρευνα
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/17/malignant-breast-cells-grow-normally-when-compressed/
To revert breast cancer cells, give them the squeeze
BERKELEY —
Researchers at the UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have put the squeeze — literally — on malignant mammary cells to guide them back into a normal growth pattern.
Shown are fluorescence images of uncompressed (left) and compressed (right) colonies of malignant breast epithelial cells. Compressed colonies are smaller and more organized. (Images courtesy of Fletcher Lab)
The findings, presented Monday, Dec. 17 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, show for the first time that mechanical forces alone can revert and stop the out-of-control growth of cancer cells. This change happens even though the genetic mutations responsible for malignancy remain, setting up a nature-versus-nurture battle in determining a cell’s fate.
“We are showing that tissue organization is sensitive to mechanical inputs from the environment at the beginning stages of growth and development,” said principal investigator Daniel Fletcher, professor of bioengineering at Berkeley and faculty scientist at the Berkeley Lab. “An early signal, in the form of compression, appears to get these malignant cells back on the right track.”
Throughout a woman’s life, breast tissue grows, shrinks and shifts in a highly organized way in response to changes in her reproductive cycle. For instance, when forming acini, the berry-shaped structures that secrete milk during lactation, healthy breast cells will rotate as they form an organized structure. And, importantly, the cells stop growing when they are supposed to.
One of the early hallmarks of breast cancer is the breakdown of this normal growth pattern. Not only do cancer cells continue to grow irregularly when they shouldn’t, recent studies have shown that they do not rotate coherently when forming acini.
While the traditional view of cancer development focuses on the genetic mutations within the cell, Mina Bissell, Distinguished Scientist at the Berkeley Lab, conducted pioneering experiments that showed that a malignant cell is not doomed to become a tumor, but that its fate is dependent on its interaction with the surrounding microenvironment. Her experiments showed that manipulation of this environment, through the introduction of biochemical inhibitors, could tame mutated mammary cells into behaving normally.
The latest work from Fletcher’s lab, in collaboration with Bissell’s lab, takes a major step forward by introducing the concept of mechanical rather than chemical influences on cancer cell growth. Gautham Venugopalan, a member of Fletcher’s lab, conducted the new experiments as part of his recently completed Ph.D. dissertation at UC Berkeley.
“People have known for centuries that physical force can influence our bodies,” said Venugopalan. “When we lift weights, our muscles get bigger. The force of gravity is essential to keeping our bones strong. Here we show that physical force can play a role in the growth — and reversion — of cancer cells.”
Venugopalan and collaborators grew malignant breast epithelial cells in a gelatin-like substance that had been injected into flexible silicone chambers. The flexible chambers allowed the researchers to apply a compressive force in the first stages of cell development.
Over time, the compressed malignant cells grew into more organized, healthy-looking acini that resembled normal structures, compared with malignant cells that were not compressed. The researchers used time-lapse microscopy over several days to show that early compression also induced coherent rotation in the malignant cells, a characteristic feature of normal development.
Notably, those cells stopped growing once the breast tissue structure was formed, even though the compressive force had been removed.
“Malignant cells have not completely forgotten how to be healthy; they just need the right cues to guide them back into a healthy growth pattern,” said Venugopalan.
Researchers further added a drug that blocked E-cadherin, a protein that helps cells adhere to their neighbors. When they did this, the malignant cells returned to their disorganized, cancerous appearance, negating the effects of compression and demonstrating the importance of cell-to-cell communication in organized structure formation.
It should be noted that the researchers are not proposing the development of compression bras as a treatment for breast cancer. “Compression, in and of itself, is not likely to be a therapy,” said Fletcher. “But this does give us new clues to track down the molecules and structures that could eventually be targeted for therapies.”
The National Institutes of Health helped fund this research through its Physical Science-Oncology program.
RELATED INFORMATION
- Experiments that point to a new understanding of cancer (Mina Bissell’s 2012 TED talk)
και η απάντηση στην έρευνα, από μια καρκινοπαθή
An Open Letter to Berkeley Lab: Thanks for the Funny Research About Squeezing Breasts and Cancer
Posted on December 19, 2012
5
Dear Daniel Fletcher, Gautham Venugopalan and Sarah Yang, Media Relations,
Thank you for your release reporting the FASCINATING detail on the research Dr. Fletcher and Mr. Venugopalan presented at at the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco.
Who knew that mechanical pressure alone apparently can revert and stop the out-of-control growth of cancer cells?
“Compression, in and of itself, is not likely to be a therapy,” cautioned Daniel Fletcher, professor of bioengineering at Berkeley and faculty scientist at the Berkeley Lab, in the statement. “But this does give us new clues to track down the molecules and structures that could eventually be targeted for therapies.”
For the experiment, scientists grew gelatin-encased malignant breast epithelial cells in flexible silicone chambers. The squishy housing allowed researchers to apply compression in the early stages of cell growth, the university said. The compressed malignant cells grew more organized and healthy-looking compared with the uncompressed malignant cells.”
Interesting! Novel!
But the true stroke of genius was the excellent word choice: SQUEEZE!
Yes! Because otherwise who would care? So thank you for the headline:
“Squeezing Malignant Breast Cancer Cells Could Help Them Return To Normal, Study Says”
…and the first sentence:
Researchers at the UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have put the squeeze — literally — on malignant mammary cells to guide them back into a normal growth pattern.
Who would have thought to work in “squeeze” with a news item about breast cancer research. It’s as if the Algonquin Round Table has launched a California franchise. Awesome, just awesome.
Some news outlets went with a “straight” account:
However, many other outlets could not resist. Do a simple Google search to see how your research has now been reduced to the level of a bunch of sixth grade boys looking at Playboy. For your reference, here is a screen grab from my Facebook page.
Science marches on…
Metastatic breast cancer claims 40,000 lives annually in the U.S. As one of 155,000 U.S. people living with MBC, I have a vested interest in educating people about this incurable disease and urging them to support research that helps people with advanced breast cancer live longer.
For the last 20 years, NCI’s Dr. Patricia Steeg has been researching how cancer cells from the primary tumor in the breast travel to vital organs, in particular the brain. Dr. Steeg identified the first cancer suppressor gene and has done pioneering work on brain metastasis.
Do you think we’ll be seeing ha-ha, funny, funny Facebook posts citing Dr. Steeg’s work?
This past fall, Dr. Steeg spoke to about 150 people with metasatic breast cancer at the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network’s annual conference in Chicago. In her presentation on “Research on Treatment to Contain Metastatic Growth,” she made a case for redesigning clinical trials to do what she termed “phase II randomized metastasis-prevention trials.” Currently, phase I and phase II clinical trials are done in patients with advanced, refractory metastatic cancer, patients who have had many therapies. In phase II trials, researchers typically are trying to determine if a drug shrinks metastases.
“But a drug that prevents metastasis may not shrink a large, refractory tumor,” said Steeg. “It has a different mechanism of action that is not picked up by the clinical trial system.” (Steeg referenced a perspective piece, “The Right Trials,” she wrote for Nature this past May:http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7400_supp/full/485S58a.html)
After Dr. Steeg finshed speaking, every single person in that auditorium stood up and offered a thundering ovation. That’s how important her work is.
Have you heard about it? Would you share it with a friend?
If only Dr. Steeg had made some reference to squeezing breasts, second base, boobies, ta tas, and, God help us, sweater kittens. Because that seems to be the only way to capture the general American public’s interest in a terrible disease.
You may say you have no control over how the news is reported or repurposed. That’s true. And I acknowledge in some respects you are truly blameless. Two decades of dedicated pinking–from chicken buckets to perfume for “The Cause” have somehow taken breast cancer from the Big C to the boffo laugh.
But, even a boilerplate statement acknowledging the stark reality that metastatic breast cancer is incurable and remains woefully underfunded and statement from Dr. Fletcher or Mr. Venugopalan asking reporters to avoid the easy jokes, the temptation to turn this into a ha-ha. funny news story of the day would be something.
It’s not too late. Get your head out of your petri dish and issue a follow-up press release.
Tell them breast cancer is not funny.
