The Science Translational Medicine informs us that a protein which carries iron in the body could slow the growth of cancerous tumours. They say the level of ferroportin can also predict the chances of a patient’s survival.
A team from Wake Forest University in North Carolina discovered that a low level of ferroportin increases the severity of breast cancer. A deficiency of this protein increases the level of iron. This contributes to the growth of cancerous tumours which increases the tumour’s aggressiveness.
Researchers attempted to bring the protein to normal levels in mice and found that tumours grew much more slowly. The ferroportin protein could have a significant influence on breast cancer.
After analyzing 800 breast cancer cancers, researchers determined that a low level of ferroportin often meant that the patient’s chances of survival were slim whereas those who had a high level of the protein had a 90% chance of surviving over the long term.