The University of Hong Kong (HKU) announced on the 8th that the research team of the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Medicine, HKU found that the liver of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (commonly known as fatty liver disease) would over secrete a liver factor "fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21)", which might accelerate the growth of breast cancer tumors. The research team led by Chen Jianping, the Chief Lecturer of the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University of Hong Kong School of Medicine, was the first to screen for liver factor FGF21 that was overexpressed and secreted in mice with fatty liver. The results of research on cancer promoting activity confirm that excessive supplementation of exogenous FGF21 will significantly accelerate the growth of mouse breast tumors, while knocking out the FGF21 gene will significantly weaken the induction of breast tumor growth by fatty liver. Clinical research points out that the probability of women suffering from fatty liver disease suffering from breast cancer is significantly increased, revealing the existence of "liver breast axis", and women's liver health is of great significance for the prevention of breast cancer. Chen Jianping said that traditional Chinese medicine has the theory of "breast disease follows the liver", which emphasizes the importance of liver maintenance for women's breast health and plays a positive role in the treatment of breast cancer. This study explains the scientificity of the "liver milk axis" at the animal and cellular levels, and also reveals the scientificity of traditional Chinese medicine theory, providing modern research evidence for the clinical application of the theory of "milk disease from the liver". Chen Jianping added that the team will take this research as a basis to further explore the relationship between the liver and the breast, and expects that relevant research can bring new ideas and methods to the etiology and pathogenesis of breast cancer, as well as clinical prevention and treatment. (Lai Xin She)