Blood-based markers that could improve early, less invasive detection of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) have been identified by researchers at the . The discovery offers a potential new blood test to diagnose the disease sooner, monitor its progression and support the development of more targeted treatments for patients facing this fast-moving form of cancer.
The study, published in , was conducted in collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas at Austin.
IBC is a highly aggressive type of breast cancer that has historically been difficult to distinguish from other forms because it does not show clear genetic differences.
New sequencing approach reveals blood signals
The research team used a specialized sequencing technology to analyze RNA, or genetic instructions, found in blood samples. Led by Naoto Ueno, director at the UH Cancer Center, Savitri Krishnamurthy, professor of anatomic pathology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Alan Lambowitz, professor of oncology at the University of Texas at Austin, the team examined both tumor and blood samples to identify signals that may improve detection and monitoring of IBC.
Researchers said previous efforts to identify specific markers for IBC have been challenging because the disease closely resembles other cancers in standard tests. In this study, they used a sequencing method known as TGIRT, which is better at capturing complex and fragmented genetic material. The findings suggest that doctors may eventually be able to monitor the disease through simple blood tests rather than tissue biopsies. The markers could also help guide the development of new therapies tailored to this aggressive cancer.
Collaboration, persistence drive discovery
Ueno and associate researcher Xiaoping Wang of the UH Cancer Center initiated the collaboration that led to the discovery.
“The project began with simple curiosity and a lot of hard work,” said Ueno. “I first heard about this technology from a friend and was inspired by Dr. Lambowitz’s vision. At first, many people didn’t think we could find biological differences between this cancer and others just by looking at a blood sample.”
The project began with simple curiosity and a lot of hard work.
—Naoto Ueno.
Despite early skepticism from colleagues who questioned the project’s potential due to the rarity and aggressive nature of inflammatory breast cancer, Ueno and Wang continued their work. Their success underscores the importance of teamwork and persistence in advancing understanding of the disease and developing more effective treatments.
“Our discussions with Dr. Lambowitz’s team helped us better understand the findings and improve the experiments along the way,” Wang said. “Together with support from the clinical team at MD Anderson, these efforts ultimately led to the discovery of a promising blood biomarker that may help diagnose this aggressive and deadly disease.”
The research was funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, The Welch Foundation, the UT MD Anderson Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, and the State of Texas Rare and Aggressive Breast Cancer Research Program.