You’re no doubt familiar with the old saying that if you want to succeed in business, you must “build a better mousetrap.” Well, some cancer researchers have taken the concept a step beyond and built what amounts to a better mouse… one that has enabled them to pin down once and for all the connection between inflammation and the growth of cancer cells — in this case, breast cancer, bringing new hope on the road to finding a cure.

That the two are linked has been postulated for years, but proving it has been impossible because researchers were unable to isolate inflammation in the breast tissue of mice (a good starting proxy for human research for this “tissue line”), I learned from Richard G. Pestell, MD, PhD, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. And, he explained, “If you knock out all of the inflammatory genes in a mouse, the mouse doesn’t survive.”

So Dr. Pestell and his colleagues approached the problem from a different direction — they created a new breed of mouse in which inflammation could be incited only in the breast tissue. This enabled them to design an experiment in which inflammation in the breast could be blocked in one set of mice but not others. The researchers could then demonstrate that blocking the inflammation in the breasts of these mice reduced the number of breast cancer stem cells… and dramatically reduced the number and rate of onset of breast tumors.

What Happens Next?

Calling this “a very novel finding,” Dr. Pestell told me that it opens the door to the development of safer therapy that will specifically treat inflammation and can be targeted directly to the breast.

This will be a vast improvement over the current chemotherapy approach for breast cancer, which nonselectively targets all cells that divide rapidly — killing not only cancer cells but also cells in the digestive tract, bone marrow and hair follicles, the reason for the many serious systemic side effects that accompany cancer treatment, including digestive disturbances, immune system suppression and hair loss.

Dr. Pestell notes that these mice also will be helpful in studying the role of inflammation in illnesses such as heart disease and neurodegeneration as well as other cancers. The study’s results appeared in the December 15, 2010, issue of Cancer Research.

Do This Now to Fight Breast Cancer

While Dr. Pestell and his researchers continue their lab studies, you can get to work at home to reduce the influence of inflammation on your body. We know what breeds inflammation — poor diet (sugar, highly refined grains, processed foods and inflammatory fats), lack of exercise, stress, chronic infections and exposure to toxins in the environment. Focus on reducing inflammation by taking the following steps…

  • Eat more whole foods and fewer processed ones. Follow a high-fiber, plant-heavy diet based on unrefined foods rich in anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.
  • Embrace healthy fats. Replace trans fats and saturated fats with olive oil, nuts, avocados and omega-3-packed fish such as wild salmon, sardines and herring.
  • Take a deep breath. Choose your favorite stress-management strategy — meditation, deep breathing, building model ships, reading (or writing!) poetry — and make room for it in your daily life.
  • Get moving. Exercise is a cornerstone of a healthy, anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
  • Consider supplements. Take a daily probiotic to improve the balance of bacteria in your gut. Other anti-inflammatory supplements include fish oil, vitamins C and E, selenium, quercetin, flaxseed oil and resveratrol.