Breast Cancer Can Affect Organs

The recipient of the 1992 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Larry Gaynor is an established executive in the Michigan entrepreneurial community who has served as the president and CEO of TNG Worldwide since its inception in the mid-1980s. Larry Gaynor is dedicated to philanthropic initiatives and supports national organizations, such as the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

A breakthrough scientific discovery published in the journal Cancer Research in April 2022 could be a game changer in the scientific understanding of how early-stage breast cancers behave and the level of danger they subject people to. It was previously thought that breast cancer could only spread to other parts of the body when tumors (metastatic growths) already existed in the primary site. This notion is nullified by the new report, which reveals that pre-cancer cells can also spread to other organs of the body such as the brain and lungs long before the presentation and diagnosis of breast cancer. When this happens, recurring cancer after treatment is inevitable and potentially lethal depending on the level of damage inflicted in the secondary area.

Pre-cancer cells are cells that look healthy but are actually poised to transition into tumors later. As a defense mechanism, the body expresses a gene called NR2F1. The NR2F1 gene restricts the movement of pre-cancer cells and limits them to the primary area. A breach in this security can occur if a cancer gene called HER2 is expressed in sufficient amounts to suppress the NR2F1 gene.