Breast cancer hope for leukaemia drug AUSTRALIAN scientists will investigate how a drug being trialled as a leukaemia treatment could be used to fight breast cancer. Researchers at Melbourne's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute found anti-cancer compounds called BH3-mimetics were effective in treating the most common types of breast cancers. The team say they are hopeful the discovery will mean clinical trials of BH3-mimetics as a breast cancer treatment within the next few years. Professor Jane Visvader said the breakthrough could bring massive benefits to breast cancer sufferers. "We are excited by these results and what they could mean for women with breast cancer," she said. Even a small improvement could have a substantial impact if more effective upfront treatment could prevent relapse. The research examined the effectiveness of the drugs when taken with the standard breast cancer treatment of hormone therapy. It found the BH3-mimetics stopped or delayed the growth of aggressive tumours by neutralising a protein called BCL-2, thus weakening the cancer cells. The research is published in the journal Cancer Cell.