27- HC also known as 27 - hydroxycholesterol can be a biomarker for breast cancer. It ahs been determined that it acts as a selective estrogen receptor modulator ( SERM), stimulating ER + breast cancer cells to grow. This was reported in 2008 when Dr DuSell reported that 27 HC ‘ may influence the pathology of breast cancer . “ A lot of research and studies have been conducted since that time. It was also shown at that time not only to stimulate cancer cells to grow in petri dishes but in mice.
I have not seen this biomarker used as much as I would have liked or observed. There has been considerable data published about cholesterol and obesity and cancer risks as discussed below
Considerable epidemiological data links both obesity and elevated cholesterol with an increased likelihood of recurrence in breast cancer patients, while statins have been shown to significantly improve prognosis. Although several studies have indicated that ‘‘Western diets’’ high in both fat and cholesterol increase mammary cancer metastasis the specific contributions of cholesterol in this process have not been evaluated. Therefore, using clinically relevant murine models of breast cancer, we show that (1) elevated cholesterol alone can increase metastasis, (2) the metastatic effects of obesity are mediated in part by elevations in cholesterol, and (3) statin intervention can attenuate the effects of a high-fat diet.
Until tomorrow…