Study Finds Link Between Breast and Ovarian Cancers
Findings from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) funded by the National Cancer institute (NIH) reveal that there exists a genetic link between 'Basel-like' and three other subtypes of breast cancer and serous ovarian cancer.
"TCGA's research uncovered marked genomic similarities between the Basal-like subtype and serous ovarian cancer. The mutation spectrum, or types and frequencies of genomic mutations, were largely the same in both cancer types." said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D
Researchers analyzed DNA of breast cancer tumors from 825 patients, looking for abnormalities. Altogether, they reported, breast cancers appear to fall into four main classes when viewed in this way.
The results suggest that not only do both types have similar molecular origins and have identical mutation frequencies but are also highly susceptible to therapeutic treatments that cut off blood supply to the tumor, as well as to compounds that target DNA repair, which include chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin.
World Health Organization reports that there are approximately 1.3 million new cases of breast cancer and 450,000 deaths worldwide annually. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with men only comprising about 1 percent of the persons diagnosed.
Contrary to popular belief, contracting breast cancer has less to do with family history than it does to a person's genetic predisposition for the disease. If two children are born of a mother with genetic markers for breast cancer, than both children have the possibility of being genetically free from it.
"With this study, we're one giant step closer to understanding the genetic origins of the four major subtypes of breast cancer," said Dr. Matthew Ellis of the Washington University School of Medicine said in a statement to Associated Press.
Join the Conversation