August 30, 2016

Does Melatonin Suppress Breast Cancer?

An article published in the May 2016 issue of Genes and Cancer describes how melatonin, a hormone that facilitates sleep, suppresses breast cancer growth. “Cancer stem cells pose a challenge in cancer treatment, as these cells can drive tumor growth and are resistant to chemotherapy,” write Juliana Lopes and colleagues in their introduction. “Melatonin exerts its oncostatic effects through the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway in cancer cells, however its action in cancer stem cells is unclear.” “From studies of cancer stem cells, the transcription factor OCT4, encoded by the POU5F1 gene, was found to be a critical factor for self-renewal and […]