Breast Cancer Now responds to finding that compounds in the diet reverse effects of breast cancer drugs in cell line models
In new research published in Cell Chemical Biology, researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reported that exposure to some xenoestrogens – compounds found in lentils, nuts and cereals – reversed the effects of palbociclib and letrozole on tumour growth, in ER-positive breast cancer cells in the lab.
The team found that xenoestrogens only had an effect on cells which had been administered with palbociclib and letrozole in combination, and not when the drugs were given alone.
Holly Palmer, Research Communications Officer at Breast Cancer Now, said;
“It’s intriguing that, in experiments in the lab, xenoestrogens such as those found in common foods reduced the effects of palbociclib and letrozole – a highly effective drug combination used to treat women with ER+, HER2+ breast cancer. But it’s difficult draw any conclusions about any possible effects for patients, as the interplay of metabolic processes in the body is far more complex than those seen in cells in the lab.