Breast cancer is one of the major concerns of women all over the world with it afflicting almost anyone. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, 230,480 women are estimated to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, with 39,520 of them dying from the disease.

Even when the cancer is treated, there is still the risk of it reoccurring. According to medical experts at Cornell University, the current five-year survival rate for women with breast cancer is 86%, while the 10-year survival rate is 76%.

The most serious type of cancer reoccurrence is the distant reoccurrence, or metastasis, which is linked to lower survival rates. Cancer that has metastasized means that it can spread to other parts of the body such as bones, lungs, and liver.

It is this danger of distant reoccurrence that Richard Kremer from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center studied and tried to stop. In his research, he suggests that there is a specific protein that plays a key role in the progression of the disease outside of the initial tumor area.

Researchers pinpointed that this protein, called parathyroid hormone-related protein, is present at high levels in cancers. To better understand the protein's relationship with cancer development, the researchers eliminated the production of the hormone from the breast cells.

Kremer pointed out that, remarkably, without the presence of the protein in the breast, even before the tumor developed, there was a reduction of 80% to 90% in the growth of the tumor. The removal effectively blocked not only the growth of the tumor, but also stopped it from spreading to different organs.

Kremer noted that this discovery opens the door to treatment of patients with aggressive type of breast cancer who are not responsive to standard treatment.

Current treatment to prevent cancer from reoccurring today involves taking different steps. There is a drug called Herceptin which helps decrease the chances of the cancer coming back as it prevents its cells from multiplying and dividing. Another is chemotherapy and radiation which also helps prevent the return of cancer, and when coupled with surgery, the remaining cancer cells can be effectively removed.