A group of South Korean scientists has developed a new treatment system for breast cancer by enhancing the effectiveness of hormonal treatment, the science ministry said Tuesday.

The team led by Park In-cheol discovered that administering dichloroacetate with the hormonal drug tamoxifen increases cell deaths in breast cancer by more than two times, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said.

"Dichloroacetate is originally a drug used to lower lactate density but we have discovered that it can also be used for cancer treatment," Park said.

The ministry said the mechanism works when dichloroacetate, specific inhibitor, and tamoxifen are used simultaneously by breaking down the epidermal growth factor receptor that is known to grow cancer cells.

Their findings were published in Oncotarget, a weekly medical journal covering research on all aspects of oncology, under the title of Dichloroacetate potentiates tamoxifen-induced cell death in breast cancer cells via down regulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, the ministry said.  (Yonhap)