My Breakthrough
Breakthrough Research Unit, King’s College London
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at King’s College London will focus on investigating a poorly understood type of breast cancer called basal-like breast cancer.
Working in partnership
Our Breakthrough Research Unit at King’s College London is being set up by Dr Andrew Tutt, oncologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Research Oncology at King’s College London. He is being aided by Professor Arnie Purushotham, who leads the King’s College London Academic Breast Unit.The unit’s research
The Breakthrough Research Unit, King’s College London, will focus on developing new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat basal-like breast cancer. This disease affects around 6,000 women each year in the UK and is currently difficult to treat. It is more likely to affect young women and those of African origin.Breast cancer is a complex disease; there are many different types, with some only distantly related to one another. To ensure that all patients can be treated effectively, we need to develop treatments that specifically target each different type.This approach is already changing the way we manage breast cancer. For example, Herceptin, which targets HER2, a molecule found on the surface of some breast cancers, is already saving lives.Basal-like breast cancer is poorly understood and tends to be associated with a poor prognosis. This is partly because basal-like breast cancers do not produce hormone receptors or HER2, and are therefore resistant to hormone therapy and Herceptin.
The future
Scientists at our King’s College London unit will use sophisticated laboratory techniques to study basal-like breast cancer at an incredibly detailed level. They hope to discover molecules that are essential to the cancer’s growth, and are characteristic of this type of cancer. These molecules can then be used as the basis for developing new, targeted treatments and diagnostic tests.They also hope to identify molecular differences between aggressive cancers, that are likely to spread, and less dangerous ones. This information will ultimately help doctors tailor the treatment of patients according to the specific characteristics of their disease.
