Fasting boosts breast cancer therapy efficacy via glucocorticoid activation.

ABSTRACT: The majority of breast cancers are driven by oestrogen receptor-α (ERα) activation, and endocrine therapy represents the mainstay treatment for these patients¹. However, resistance is common and tumours often progress after years of endocrine suppression². Periodic fasting enhances the efficacy of standard endocrine therapy and delays acquired drug resistance, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear³. Here we show that fasting induces extensive epigenetic reprogramming in ERα-positive breast cancer xenografts when combined with endocrine therapy, with large-scale activation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and progesterone receptor signalling and concomitant reduction in the activity of activator protein-1 (AP-1) family members. GR-driven gene prog

SUBMITTER: Padrao N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12823405 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature