EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

This month, we're turning our attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing awareness, supporting early detection, and highlighting the ongoing research shaping the future of breast cancer treatment and prevention.

Five common cancers (lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, and breast) occur more often in communities with low employment rates or low incomes, per analysis of 16 years of data on Japanese adults

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Five common cancers (lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, and breast) occur more often in communities with low employment rates or low incomes, per analysis of 16 years of data on Japanese adults

Journal: PLOS One

9-Jul-2025

EGFR-targeted therapy resistance in breast and head & neck cancers

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY – July 9, 2025 – A new review was published in Volume 16 of Oncotarget on June 25, 2025, titled “Challenges and resistance mechanisms to EGFR targeted therapies in head and neck cancers and breast cancer: Insights into RTK dependent and independent mechanisms.”

Journal: Oncotarget

9-Jul-2025

BU researchers determine obesity’s role in triple-negative breast cancer

Boston University School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BU researchers have now discovered that exosomes—messenger nanovesicles that carry proteins, RNA, and other molecules to other cells—released into the blood by different organs and tissues in obese, insulin-resistant models, carry signals that turn otherwise slow-moving TNBC cells into highly mobile, invasive cells. This is the first time a study has shown that exosomes from an obese, diabetic environment directly cause this aggressive change in TNBC, and that Rho-proteins (molecular switches that turn “on” or turn “off” signal transduction pathways) play a key role in driving the change.

Journal: BMC Cancer

8-Jul-2025

AI helps radiologists spot more lesions in mammograms

Radiological Society of North America
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Artificial intelligence (AI) improves breast cancer detection accuracy for radiologists when reading screening mammograms, helping them devote more of their attention to suspicious areas, according to a new study.

Journal: Radiology

8-Jul-2025

New insights into breast cancer ecosystem: The complex crosstalk between exosomes and metabolic reprogramming offers promising therapeutic prospects

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Breast cancer progression is driven by a complex ecosystem where cancer cells and their microenvironment communicate extensively. A recent Perspective article in Science Bulletin from a team led by Dr. Wenqian Wang (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University), Professor Min Wu (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou Institute), and Associate Professor Chunyan Hua (Wenzhou Medical University) reveals the crucial crosstalk between exosomes—small messengers released by cells—and metabolic reprogramming in breast cancer. This interaction influences tumor growth, resistance to therapy, and cancer stem cell survival. The study proposes innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies targeting this “exosome-metabolism axis”, offering new hope for more effective patient management.

Journal: Science Bulletin

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

Latest News Releases

Five common cancers (lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, and breast) occur more often in communities with low employment rates or low incomes, per analysis of 16 years of data on Japanese adults

EGFR-targeted therapy resistance in breast and head & neck cancers

BU researchers determine obesity’s role in triple-negative breast cancer

AI helps radiologists spot more lesions in mammograms

New insights into breast cancer ecosystem: The complex crosstalk between exosomes and metabolic reprogramming offers promising therapeutic prospects

Dual-action therapy shows promise in breast cancer care

Key resistance mechanism in breast cancer could lead to more effective treatment