BOSTON — Stretching could be a key to shrinking tumors in breast cancer patients, according to a new study conducted by the Dana Farber Cancer Foundation and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Researchers found mice who were put through a gentle stretching regimen showed 52 percent smaller tumor volume than ones who were not. Both were not given any other form of treatment.
"These results open myriad new avenues of research," said co-corresponding author Jean J. Zhao, PhD, professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "There is still so much we don't understand in terms of how stretching reduces tumor growth.
The researchers found that stretching reduced levels of PD-1, an immune response that blocks the body's ability to fight cancer cells. Those same mice also showed greater levels of inflammation-resolving cells, according to the researchers.
Researchers say this is not an indication cancer patients should replace and traditional treatments with stretching, but are hopeful a stretching regimen could be a promising addition in the future.
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