Close X
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
ADVT 
Health

Dim Light Escalates Breast Cancer's Spread To Bones

Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Mar, 2019 09:04 PM

    Exposure to dim light at night may contribute to spreading of breast cancer to bones, researchers have shown in an animal study.


    When breast cancer spreads it often affects bones, cause severe pain and make them fragile. "To date no one has reported that exposure to dim light at night induces circadian disruption, which increases spread of bone metastatic breast cancer," said Muralidharan Anbalagan, Assistant Professor, at Tulane University in New Orleans.


    The findings were presented at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans.


    For the preliminary study, the team created a mouse model of bone metastatic breast cancer. They injected oestrogen receptor-positive human breast cancer cells, which have a low propensity to grow in bones, into the tibia (shinbone) of female mice.


    Like humans, mice produced a strong night-time circadian melatonin signal, shown to produce strong anti-cancer actions and for promoting sleep.


    While one group of mice was kept in the light for 12 hours each day, the other group of three mice in the dark for 12 hours. Another group spent 12 hours in light, followed by 12 hours in dim light at night.


    X-ray images showed that mice exposed to a light or dim light cycle had much larger tumours and increased bone damage compared with mice kept in a standard light/dark cycle, he noted.


    "Our research identified the importance of an intact nocturnal circadian melatonin anti-cancer signal in suppressing bone-metastatic breast tumour growth," Anbalagan said.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    High Birth Weight Makes Kids Smarter At School

    High Birth Weight Makes Kids Smarter At School
    Lower weight at birth has an adverse effect on children's performance in school which is likely due to the early health struggles small babies often face, a research has found.

    High Birth Weight Makes Kids Smarter At School

    Go To Bed Early To Stave Off Worries

    Go To Bed Early To Stave Off Worries
    A good night's sleep can help you stay positive as researchers have found that people who sleep for shorter period of time and go to bed often late experience more negative thoughts than others.

    Go To Bed Early To Stave Off Worries

    Mediterranean diet good for erectile dysfunction patients

    Mediterranean diet good for erectile dysfunction patients
    People who have erectile dysfunction are at increased risk of heart attack and stroke, but eating a Mediterranean diet can reduce that risk, says a study....

    Mediterranean diet good for erectile dysfunction patients

    Sleep protein protects from cancer

    Sleep protein protects from cancer
    A new protein responsible for regulating the body's sleep cycle, or circadian rhythm, also protects the body from developing sporadic forms of cancers, new research has found....

    Sleep protein protects from cancer

    Scientists detect laryngeal cancer gene

    Scientists detect laryngeal cancer gene
    Chinese and international scientists have for the first time identified the three gene loci susceptible to laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), according...

    Scientists detect laryngeal cancer gene

    Common Knee Surgery May Boost Arthritis Risk, Study Suggests

    Common Knee Surgery May Boost Arthritis Risk, Study Suggests
    A common type of knee surgery may increase the chances of arthritis, a new study suggests.

    Common Knee Surgery May Boost Arthritis Risk, Study Suggests