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A Research Study On Breast Cancer

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Introduction

Breast Cancer is on the fore-front of modern tumor research and scientists are continually seeking for new ways to treat and prevent cancer progression. Current treatments by hormone-dependent drugs like Tamoxifen and Raloxifene focus on estrogen receptor inhibition in mammary and endometrial cell lines. This group of drugs are known as selective-estrogen receptor modulators or SERMS, which are effective in estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) and hormone-estrogen receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancers . Currently , researchers have turned their attention to retinoids – materials similar to vitamin A, which control cell proliferation and differentiation, apoptosis, and gene suppression in both normal and cancerous epithelial tissues. Specifically, fenretinide, a synthetic retinoid, is of particular interest for treating epithelial breast cancer after yielding positive results in inducing apoptosis in in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials. Fenretinide’s exact functions in the cell for chemo-preventative use are still being discovered, such as its supposed relationship with the nuclear retinoid receptors RARɣ and RXR β, which control cell growth and apoptosis, and its effect on insulin-growth factor (IGF) receptors, which are high risk factors for breast cancer. Fenretinide has been discovered inducing cell death by other novel means through receptor-independent mechanisms . Combination therapy of fenretinide and Tamoxifen together has shown greater effect on

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