Common mineral in Brazil nuts 'could hold key to stopping spread of cancer'

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A study focusing on an essential mineral found in abundance in Brazil nuts could hold the key to halting the spread of triple-negative breast cancer, according to recent research. The investigation, backed by Cancer Research UK, suggests that controlling the antioxidant effects of selenium - a common ingredient in multivitamin supplements and everyday foods like meat, mushrooms, and cereals - could be crucial in managing this type of cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer can be challenging to treat but is often manageable through therapy and surgery unless it metastasises to other body parts, rendering it inoperable. Selenium, a vital antioxidant, was previously thought to be beneficial in combating cancer cells.

However, the research discovered that cancer cells require selenium, particularly when the cells are sparse and away from densely packed cell clusters. When grouped together, triple-negative breast cancer cells produce a fat molecule containing oleic acid (typically found in olive oil), which shields them from a form of cell death known as ferroptosis triggered by selenium deprivation.

Groundbreaking research from the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, has uncovered a potential weakness in triple-negative breast cancer cells. The study revealed that these aggressive cancer cells struggle to survive without selenium, especially when they are isolated and attempting to spread to other body parts, such as the lungs.

By disrupting selenium metabolism in these cells, particularly those circulating in the blood aiming to metastasize, researchers found they could effectively kill them. This significant finding offers hope for new treatments aimed at halting the spread of the disease.

Dr Saverio Tardito, the research lead from the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and also affiliated with the Centre for Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna, commented: "We need selenium to survive, so, removing it from our diet is not an option, however, if we can find a treatment that interferes with the uptake of this mineral by triple-negative breast cancer cells, we could potentially prevent this cancer spreading to other parts of the body.

"It is not usually breast cancer itself that proves fatal as it can often be tackled successfully with treatment or surgery, it is when the cancer spreads that it proves harder to control. With triple-negative breast cancer having fewer treatments to control it, finding a new way to prevent it spreading could be life-saving."

Approximately 56,800 individuals in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, and about 15% of these cases are identified as triple-negative breast cancer. This aggressive type of cancer can be linked to a mutation in the BRCA genes, which heightens the risk of developing specific cancers, including breast.

Dr Sam Godfrey, Science Engagement Lead at Cancer Research UK, commented: "Outcomes for patients with triple-negative breast cancer can be worse than for other types of cancer. Research like this could be the key to preventing this type of cancer spreading, and that would have a transformative effect on how this disease is treated."

Lisa Bancroft of Dunfermline, Fife, who found out she had the gene mutation at only 27, has lauded the ongoing research. Having opted for preventative double mastectomy surgery, she remains cancer-free five years later, at age 32.

She expressed: "Research like this, which potentially gives people with triple-negative breast cancer more treatment options, offers so much hope. Medical science is making huge leaps forward. For me, the research that uncovered the potentially catastrophic implications of carrying a faulty BRCA gene all those years ago, has changed the course of my life."

With her father and aunt having succumbed to cancer, the latter from triple-negative breast cancer specifically, Bancroft's choice was influenced by family history. At the time of her preventive surgery, her daughter, now six, was two, and Ms Bancroft's actions were deeply rooted in considering her child's future.

She expressed: "When she is old enough, my daughter Emma will also have to decide whether to go for genetic testing to find out if she is affected. Medical science is advancing so quickly, so my hope is that by the time this happens, it will be a completely different world."

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