How do breast cancer tumors use fat cells to grow?

Breast cancer tumors can tap into the energy-rich lipids stored in neighboring fat cells by forming straw-like structures called gap junctions to extract the lipids, fueling the tumor's growth.

What is the link between obesity and aggressive breast cancers?

The study suggests that obese women may be at higher risk of developing more aggressive forms of breast cancer, like triple-negative, because the tumor cells can exploit the fat cells to gain energy and grow.

How could this research help treat triple-negative breast cancer?

If researchers can find a way to block the tumor cells from accessing the fat cells' lipids, it could potentially starve and slow the growth of these aggressive, hard-to-treat cancers.

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Aggressive Breast Cancers May Exploit Neighboring Fat Cells to Grow

20 Aug

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Summary

Certain breast cancer tumors may feed on fat cells in the surrounding tissue
Blocking tumor cells' access to fat cells could be a new treatment approach
Triple-negative breast cancer, more common in Black women, is a focus of the study

Aggressive Breast Cancers May Exploit Neighboring Fat Cells to Grow

According to a study published on August 20, 2025, certain aggressive breast cancer tumors may be able to fuel their growth by exploiting the energy stored in neighboring fat cells. The research, led by a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco, could pave the way for new treatments that starve these tumors by preventing their access to fat.

The study focused on triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form that accounts for about 15% of all breast cancers and is more common in Black women and women under 40. Triple-negative breast cancer also has a higher risk of recurrence compared to other types.

The researchers found that breast tumor cells appear to gain access to the fat cells' energy-rich lipids by poking straw-like structures, called gap junctions, into the fat cells and then extracting the stored lipids. When the researchers blocked the tumor cells' ability to form these gap junctions, the tumors stopped growing.

Experts say the findings are the first clear evidence of a mechanism linking obesity and aggressive breast cancers. If the same effects are observed in humans, it could lead to new treatments that starve the tumors by preventing their access to fat. The research may also suggest that lifestyle changes to achieve a healthy weight could help protect against such cancers.

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