Scientists Find That Breast Cancer Not A Single Disease

BREAST cancer is not a single disease but a collection of at least five separate conditions that differ in prognosis and response to treatment, a genetic study has revealed.

A comparison of the genomes of 24 breast tumours found several distinct patterns of DNA damage, each of which appeared to be characteristic of a sub-type of cancer.

The findings, from a British team that unveiled last week the first comprehensive genetic maps of two tumours, offer insights into the biology of breast cancer.

Scientists expect to be able to classify tumours according to their DNA signatures and thus establish how aggressive the tumour will be, and which therapy is most likely to work.

Mike Stratton, of the Cancer Genome Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, said: “Our work supports the view that breast cancer is not one but several diseases. If this diversity is associated with a different prognosis, or sensitivity to drugs, it will become very useful on a clinical level.”

Oncologists already recognize that there are three to four broad groups of breast cancers, which differ in their responses to particular drugs.

In the study, the scientists examined 24 tumours for evidence of re-arrangement — a type of genetic damage.

It was revealed that while some tumours were relatively undisturbed, others had more than 200 re-arrangements.

“The aim is to identify cancer-causing genes that are produced by these re-arrangements, and to develop therapies,” Prof Stratton said.

Meanwhile, a new drug may halt the growth of a rare form of cancer that affects teenage boys.

Share/Save