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What is the best time of the month to treat breast cancer?

Could breast cancer survival rates be improved simply by timing treatment to a specific stage of the menstrual cycle? Mouse and human data suggest sensitivity to chemotherapy is affected by fluctuations in ovarian hormones.
By
  1. Wendy V. Ingman

    1. Wendy V. Ingman is at the Robinson Research Institute and at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Adelaide, Woodville 5011, Australia.

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As well as preparing the body for potential pregnancy, the menstrual cycle affects the function of many cell types in a range of organs. Variations in the ovarian hormones oestrogen and progesterone across the cycle might also influence response to cancer therapies. Writing in Nature, Bornes et al.1 reveal that the menstrual cycle modifies sensitivity to breast cancer treatment. This result raises new therapeutic possibilities. Could breast cancer survival rates improve by giving chemotherapy to individuals at a specific time of the month?

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Nature 637, 39-41 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03847-8

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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