Breast cancer ... the cure lies in a simple drink

There is always hope, and there is always something new in the treatment of incurable diseases, including breast cancer. A recent American study reported that a nutritional supplement used in sports drinks can treat drug-resistant breast cancer.

The study was conducted by researchers at the American “Mayo Clinic” hospitals, and their results were published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Cell Metabolism, according to what was reported by “Anatolia” agency.

The researchers explained that a receptor called HER2, a hormone that may stimulate cancer growth, is responsible for about 20-30% of breast cancer tumors.

They added that drugs that treat breast cancer, such as "trastuzumab", improve the lives of some patients with breast cancer, but some tumors may become resistant to these drugs.

Dr. Taro Hitosuji, the research team leader and colleagues decided to explore new ways to solve this problem, and tested the possibility of using a dietary supplement called “cyclocreatine” in reducing breast cancer tumors.

The researchers discovered that this supplement, which is used in sports drinks, hindered the growth of the hormone HER2 responsible for breast cancer, without causing toxic side effects.

This result came after studies conducted on mice with breast cancer, which showed resistance to breast cancer drugs such as "trastuzumab".

"Future clinical trials in humans will be necessary to determine the efficacy of this drug for treating drug-resistant breast cancer," said Matthew Goetz, director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer Program.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common type of tumor among women worldwide in general, and the Middle East region in particular.

The agency stated that about 1.4 million new cases are diagnosed each year, and the disease kills more than 450 women annually around the world.