Blood pressure drug treats breast cancer

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:03:08 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=96893&sectionid=3510210

An available blood pressure drug has been reported effective in blocking a highly active gene found in about 20 percent of breast cancer cases.

After ERBB2 (HER2), considered the cause of 25 to 30 percent of breast cancer cases, AGTR1 is the second most commonly expressed gene in breast tumors -- all of which lacked ERBB2 but expressed the estrogen receptor.

Also known as angiotensin II receptor type I, AGTR1 forces normal breast cells to behave like cancer cells.

According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, losartan (Cozaar) -- a common blood pressure drug -- effectively blocks AGTR1, shrinking the tumor size by 30 percent within eight weeks of treatment.

The blood pressure drug, however, was reported ineffective in tumors lacking the gene AGTR1.

Scientists concluded that losartan is a possible therapy for women with AGTR1 over-expressing breast tumors.