University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers identified a protein that could be key to developing new treatments for triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for about 10%–15% of all breast cancers, is an aggressive type of cancer that has limited treatment options and tends to have a worse prognosis for patients.

The new study published in Molecular Cancerreveals that a protein called NAC1 plays a role in helping triple-negative breast cancer cells spread by maintaining their cancer stem cell properties and altering the immune system’s response to the tumor.

These findings could open new doors for treating patients with triple-negative breast cancer, say the study’s corresponding authors Xia Liu, Ph.D., and Jinming Yang, MD, Ph.D., both faculty members in the UK College of Medicine’s Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology.

“This study implies NAC1 is a promising therapeutic target to simultaneously eradicate cancer stem cells and mitigate immune evasion,” the study notes.

The research team’s work found that tumors with high levels of NAC1 have enhanced cancer stem cell properties, making them more likely to resist treatment and spread to other parts of the body. The team also found that NAC1 affects immune cells called myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which can promote tumor growth by shielding cancer cells from the immune system attack.

The study could lead to new treatment strategies for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, including targeting NAC1 to kill the root of cancer, and restore the immune system’s ability to recognize and fight cancer cells.

This study’s findings are particularly significant because triple-negative breast cancer lacks the three most common targets for breast cancer therapy, making it harder to treat than other types of breast cancer.