JAKARTA - Researchers in Australia have found new clues about the relationship between pregnancy and natural protection against breast cancer. The findings center on immune cells that enter the breast tissue when women are pregnant.
This research is important because similar protection may one day be triggered without pregnancy. That way, these findings can open up new prevention opportunities for women who do not have children, cannot get pregnant, or choose not to get pregnant.
Xinhua, quoted Tuesday, July 7, reported that the study published in Nature Immunology found that pregnancy triggers the entry of "killer" T cells into breast tissue. T "killer" cells are part of the immune system that helps the body recognize and destroy abnormal cells, including cancer cells.
The findings were presented in a statement from Australia's Peter MacCallum Cancer Center or Peter Mac released on Monday.
The study's principal co-investigator, Associate Professor Kara Britt from Peter Mac, said higher levels of killer T cells were associated with better outcomes in women. The cells help detect and destroy cancer cells.
"We found that memory T cells that settle in the tissue are recruited during pregnancy, but persist and potentially remain in the breast tissue to patrol for abnormal cells for years," Britt said.
Memory T cells that settle in the network are immune cells that can stay for a long time in a certain tissue and respond again if they find a threat. In this study, the research team examined the breast tissue up to a decade after pregnancy. The results, they ensured that the immune cells can survive in the long term.
Another lead co-investigator from Peter Mac, Associate Professor Ajithkumar Vasanthakumar, said T cells that settle in the tissue depend on the milk-producing breast cells to survive and grow.
"Our study shows that T cells that settle in the tissue depend on the milk-producing breast cells to survive and grow, and are embedded in the milk ducts," said Vasanthakumar.
In the same report, Xinhua said researchers used an experimental model to trigger a similar immune protection against breast cancer through hormone therapy, without the need for pregnancy.
However, these findings do not mean that breast cancer prevention therapy without pregnancy is already available for widespread use. Results in experimental models still need to be further tested before they can be applied to humans in general.
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