A landmark study from the University of Glasgow could pave the way for new treatments to prevent breast cancer metastasis – a development of major significance for India, where the disease remains the most common cancer among women.
Breast cancer continues to be a growing public health challenge worldwide, and India is no exception. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), breast cancer is the leading cancer among Indian women, accounting for more than 14 per cent of all cancers in women.
Each year, approximately 1.8 lakh new breast cancer cases are reported in India, with nearly 90,000 lives lost. A major reason for these fatalities is metastasis – when cancer spreads from the breast to other parts of the body – making the disease far harder to treat effectively.
Now, scientists at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, University of Glasgow, have made a breakthrough discovery that could help stop breast cancer from spreading. Their findings, published recently in the prestigious journal EMBO Reports, identify key metabolic changes in the body that occur before cancer spreads, offering a vital early window to intervene.
The study, led by Dr Cassie Clarke along with Professors Jim Norman and Karen Blyth, found that breast cancer alters the metabolism of specific immune cells. These altered cells then release a molecule called uracil, which plays a role in helping distant organs build a “scaffold” where secondary tumours can grow.
By blocking an enzyme called uridine phosphorylase-1 (UPP1), which produces uracil, the researchers were able to prevent this scaffold from forming in mice. Importantly, this restored the immune system’s natural ability to destroy migrating cancer cells, effectively stopping metastasis in its tracks.
“This study represents a major shift in how we think about preventing the spread of breast cancer,” said Dr Clarke. “By targeting these metabolic changes as early as possible, we could stop the cancer progressing and save lives.”
Breast cancer is now one of the most treatable cancers if detected early. However, as Dr Catherine Elliott, Director of Research at Cancer Research UK, highlighted, metastasis remains the critical turning point that makes the disease much harder to manage, even years after initial treatment.
For India, the implications of this discovery are profound. With limited awareness, late-stage diagnosis, and restricted access to advanced treatments in many parts of the country, secondary breast cancer accounts for a significant proportion of fatalities.
A simple diagnostic tool to detect uracil in the blood could serve as an early-warning system for Indian clinicians, particularly in Tier II and Tier III cities where access to oncologists is limited.
Further, the potential development of drugs that block UPP1 could provide an affordable and scalable therapeutic option for Indian patients. Unlike advanced immunotherapies, which remain prohibitively expensive, targeting metabolic pathways offers a new avenue that could be more cost-effective in the long term.
While the Glasgow findings are currently limited to laboratory studies in mice, researchers are optimistic about translating them into human clinical trials. The work opens up new opportunities to develop drugs that could prevent not only secondary breast cancer but also other cancers that spread through similar mechanisms.
For India’s oncology community, this breakthrough underscores the urgent need for investment in translational cancer research, greater participation in global clinical trials, and development of locally manufactured drugs.
If successfully translated into clinical practice, this discovery from the University of Glasgow could become a game-changer in India’s fight against breast cancer – giving thousands of women the chance to live longer, healthier lives.