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Immune cells that normally protect the body from infection can also drive the progression of some early breast cancers, McGill University researchers have found.

The discovery points to a potential way of distinguishing relatively harmless cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) from those most likely to become invasive, one of the biggest challenges in breast cancer care.

DCIS is an early form of breast cancer that accounts for roughly one-fifth to one-third of cancers detected through screening.

"Many patients diagnosed with DCIS face difficult treatment decisions because we can't reliably predict which lesions will progress," said lead author Tarek Taifour, an M.D.-Ph.D. student in McGill's Department of Medicine. "We've identified a mechanism that brings us a step closer to identifying those at highest risk."

DCIS is normally held in check by a thin layer of cells that acts like a protective barrier, preventing cancer cells from spreading into nearby tissue.

Researchers studied the disease in mice, human breast tissue samples and 3D tumor models grown in the lab to understand how some cancers break through the barrier.

Results published in Cell Reports Medicine point to an unexpected role of the immune system.

Neutrophils—immune cells best known for fighting infection—release an enzyme called neutrophil elastase that weakens this barrier, the study found. When researchers blocked either the cells or the enzyme, the protective barrier remained intact.

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