From the Journals: Rat Study Suggests Role for Nighttime Light Exposure in Tamoxifen Resistance

Exposure to dim light at night made breast tumors more resistant to tamoxifen in rats, but this resistance could be counteracted by melatonin supplements administered to the rats at nighttime.

Principal investigators and co-leaders of Tulane’s Circadian Cancer Biology Group, Steven Hill (left front) and David Blask (right front), and team members Robert Dauchy (left back) and Shulin Xiang (right back). Photograph by Paula Burch-Celentano.

The research is part of ongoing work in the Circadian Cancer Biology Group at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Although further studies are needed, it suggests a potentially modifiable mechanism for tamoxifen resistance.

The study appeared in Cancer Research and was featured on the BBC, The Huffington Post, and The Telegraph. Read the full press release here.