2024-11-27 07:00:00
With 61,214 new cases in 2023 and 12,600 deaths in 2021, breast cancer remains the leading female cancer in France, and the leading cause of cancer death in women. If the two main known risk factors are age and sex, researchers continue to look for factors favoring the appearance of this cancer. And some of them have recently pointed the finger at microscopic fungi. Explanations.
What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, accounting for one in three female cancers. A multifactorial disease, breast cancer is associated with several identified risk factors:
Age : almost 80% of breast cancers develop after the age of 50; Sex: male cases represent only 1% of breast cancers; Family history of breast cancer, linked to genetic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes; Personal history (breast cancer, hyperplasia, chest irradiation, etc.); Alcohol consumption; Overweight and obesity ; Smoking; An unbalanced diet; Sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity.
But researchers continue to look at other factors that could potentially increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Recent studies have revealed the impact of atmospheric pollution. A 2021 study estimated that each year in France 1,700 cases of breast cancer are attributable to air pollutants.
Read also – Breast cancer: assessing the impact of environmental causes
Yeasts involved in breast cancer?
More recently, researchers have focused on another factor, microscopic fungi : yeasts of the kind Malassezia. These yeasts, naturally present in the skin flora, are already known to be involved in several skin diseases:
But researchers also suspect its role in the development of more severe conditions, including breast cancer. Early studies suggested that yeasts of the genus Malassezia could influence the microenvironment around the tumor in breast tissue (highly lipidic tissue) and thus promote tumor progression.
Read also – Psoriasis or eczema: can you tell the difference?
Towards new therapeutic targets against breast cancer
In a new study, researchers explored the role of these yeasts in progression of breast cancerusing a mouse model. They studied the influence of yeast on lipid metabolism and immune system pathways. They effectively demonstrated that the presence of yeasts in the tumor could modify lipid metabolism, the recruitment of immune cells and the synthesis of immune mediators, in favor of tumor progression. Yeasts participate in particular in reducing the effectiveness of the immune system in the immediate environment of the tumor, thus facilitating the multiplication of tumor cells.
Such data must now be confirmed in humans, both to demonstrate the involvement of yeasts in the development and progression of breast cancer and to highlight new therapeutic targets.
Read also – Breast cancer, better fight against recurrence…
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
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