Getting to second base may be all that it takes to prevent malignant breast cells triggering cancer, research has shown, according to a report.

Yes, you read right. Squeezing boobies is good for you.

MSN News reported that laboratory experiments showed that applying physical pressure to the cells guided them back to a normal growth pattern.

Even though scientists do not envisage fighting breast cancer with a new range of compression bras, they believe the research provides clues that could lead to new treatments, the report said.

"People have known for centuries that physical force can influence our bodies," said Gautham Venugopalan, a leading member of the research team at the University of California in Berkeley.

"When we lift weights, our muscles get bigger. The force of gravity is essential to keeping our bones strong. Here we show that physical force can play a role in the growth - and reversion - of cancer cells."

For the study, malignant breast epithelial cells were grown within a gel injected into flexible silicone chambers, allowing the scientists to apply compression during the first stages of cell growth, effectively squashing the cells.

Over time, the squeezed malignant cells began to grow in a more normal and organised way.

Once the breast tissue structure was formed the cells stopped growing, even when the compressive force was removed. Non-compressed cells continued to display the haphazard and uncontrolled growth that leads to cancer.

"Malignant cells have not completely forgotten how to be healthy; they just need the right cues to guide them back to a healthy growth pattern," said Venugopalan, a doctoral student.

However, the study's researchers are not advocating a friendly or firm squeeze as a cancer treatment, said the Huffington Post.

“Compression, in and of itself, is not likely to be a therapy,” said Daniel Fletcher, professor of bioengineering at Berkeley and faculty scientist at the Berkeley Lab, in a statement. “But this does give us new clues to track down the molecules and structures that could eventually be targeted for therapies.”

The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco.

In October a biotech firm claimed it was developing a sensor-equipped bra that can detect breast cancer. If trials continue to be successful, Lifeline Biotechnologies said its First Warning Systems bra would be available in the U.S. in 2014.