WORLD - Researchers have discovered new markers that could help doctors better track one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer as it spreads through the body, according to a study in Cancer Research Communications.

The focus is on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a form of the disease that is hard to treat because it lacks the hormone proteins that many standard therapies target.

TNBC also spreads, or metastasizes, more often than other breast cancers, making early detection especially important.

One challenge has been spotting cancer cells that break away from the main tumor and travel through the bloodstream. Traditional detection methods often miss these cells because the usual markers they look for are absent in TNBC.

In the new study, researchers identified four new proteins on the surface of these cancer cells. Using these proteins together makes it much easier to see circulating TNBC cells in blood samples.

The team first tested the markers in mice and then confirmed their findings using blood from patients with metastatic TNBC.

“We were excited with the results with blood from patients,” said Dr. Chonghui Cheng of Baylor College of Medicine. “In these patients, tumor cells were often invisible using standard methods but became clearly visible with the new marker combination.”

Being able to track these cells more reliably could help doctors monitor how the cancer is progressing and whether treatments are working.

While further research is needed before this approach is implemented in hospitals, the findings offer promise for developing better tools to monitor aggressive cancers and enhance patient care.