封面專題•COVER STORY 澳大新語•2020 UMAGAZINE 22 11 Studying the Mechanisms of Cancer Prof Deng’s research team studies the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer development, drug resistance, and metastasis. The team’s latest study found that the susceptibility gene BRCA1 can inhibit post-surgery breast cancer metastasis and recurrence by promoting mitochondrial autophagy and reducing the activity of inflammatory bodies. The study was published as a cover article in the internationally renowned SCI-indexed journal Advanced Science, and opens up new directions for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The study was jointly conducted by Prof Deng Chuxia, Prof Xu Xiaoling, and Dr Chen Qiang. As one of the foremost Chinese-American scientists in the field of life sciences, Prof Deng has studied the pathogenesis and treatment of breast cancer for more than two decades and has published over 380 papers on the subject. According to him, the incidence rate of breast cancer is very high worldwide, posing a serious threat to women’s health. ‘Cancer research at UM covers a variety of cancers, and our laboratory focuses on the most common types of cancer in women,’ he explains. ‘We focus on the BRCA1 gene, whose mutations increase the risk for breast cancer. We have made some good progress in studying the carcinogenic mechanism of TNBC.’ Treatment of TNBC According to clinicopathological classification, about 10 to 20 per cent of breast cancer cases are TNBCs. TNBC is cancer that tests negative for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and epithelial growth factor (HER2). If it is ER- and PR-positive breast cancer, hormone therapy is possible; if it is HER2-induced breast cancer, anti-HER2 target therapy can be used. However, there are currently no effective targeted drugs for TNBC. According to Prof Deng, TNBC is the most difficult‑to‑cure type of breast cancer. It not only has an earlier onset than other types of breast cancer, but also has a high degree of malignancy. Cancer cells can easily metastasise to lymph nodes and spread quickly, so the mortality rate is high. He says, ‘Even after chemotherapy and mastectomy, the risk of TNBC recurrence within the first five years is still higher than other types of breast cancer, because surgery often 研究癌症機理 鄧教授的研究團隊深入研究乳腺癌的 發生發展、耐藥和轉移的分子機制， 他們最新的發現，乳腺癌易感基因1 （BRCA1）可以通過促進線粒體自噬 和降低炎症小體的活性，抑制手術後乳 腺癌的復發及轉移，成果獲著名SCI期 刊《Advanced Science》作為封面文 章刊登，為治療三陰性乳腺癌（Triple negative breast cancer，簡稱TNBC） 開拓新方向。研究由鄧初夏教授、徐曉 玲副教授、陳強博士（第一作者）等共 同完成。 作為生命科學領域頂級美籍華人科學 家，鄧教授過去20多年來研究乳腺癌的 發病機制和治療方法，發表論文380多 篇。他表示，乳腺癌在總體癌症的發病 率非常高，威脅全球女性健康。「澳大 癌症研究領域較廣，涉及多種癌症，而 我們實驗室盯住在女性當中發病最高的 來做研究，聚焦突變時提高患乳腺癌風 險的抑癌基因BRCA1，並在研究『三 陰性乳腺癌』致癌機理上取得成果。」 治療三陰性乳腺癌 按臨床病理分型，在所有乳腺癌個案 中，約有10%至20%屬於三陰性乳腺 癌。「三陰性」指癌細胞對雌激素受 體（ER）、孕酮受體（PR）、上皮生 長素因子（HER2）都呈陰性。我們可 以採用荷爾蒙治療ER和PR陽性的乳腺 癌，以及使用抗HER2的標靶治療來應 對HER2誘發的乳腺癌，但是三陰性乳 腺癌目前尚無有效的靶向藥物。 鄧教授表示，三陰性乳腺癌一直被視 為最棘手、最難根治的乳癌，不僅比 一般乳腺癌早發病、惡性程度較高， 癌細胞也較容易轉移淋巴結，同時很 快擴散，因此死亡率較高。「即使經 過化療和乳房切除手術，三陰性乳腺 癌首五年內復發風險仍較高，因為手 術往往會刺激整個機體的免疫，釋放 一些促進生長的因素令癌細胞復發和 轉移，當務之急是為三陰性乳腺癌治 療找到新的有效標靶。」
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