Breast cancer: An improved animal model opens up new treatments

Tissue section from an intraductal xenograft's hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, stained for fibrillar collagen networks © G. Sflomos/EPFL 03. EPFL scientists have developed an animal model for breast cancer that faithfully captures the disease. Tested on human breast tissue, this the most clinically realistic model for breast cancer to date. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, affecting one in eight women. There are different types of breast cancer, but one type in particular accounts for almost three quarters of all breast tumors. These tumors feature a receptor for estrogen, and very often become resistant to hormone therapy. Despite their high frequency, these "estrogen receptor-positive" tumors have been difficult to research because the animals we test drugs on are often not relevant to the clinic.