Researchers find groups of genes associated with different types and stages of breast cancerMarch 21, 2002A method of rapidly "scanning" thousands of genes has revealed groups of genes associated with different types and stages of breast cancer. Some genes also appear to be able to indicate women's chances of survival, the 3rd European Breast Cancer Conference heard on Saturday 23 March. Dr Christos Sotiriou, head of the the microarray facility at the Jules Bordet Institute, Free University of Brussels, Belgium, told the conference that his multinational group had collaborated with Dr Adrian Harris (Oxford) and the National Cancer Institute (USA), to study samples from 99 patients whose clinical outcome was known. Using a microchip containing fragments of 7600 genes (a microarray) they analysed patients' RNAs to identify which genes were related to known tumour and/or patient characteristics (such as whether the oestrogen receptor were positive or negative, tumour size and grade, lymph node involvement and menopausal status). They found patterns of gene activity that were strongly associated with whether the oestrogen receptors were positive or negative, and moderately associated with tumour grade. It was more difficult to find genes associated with menopausal status, nodal status and tumour size. By analysing how the entire group of genes in the study behaved, the researchers were also able to define new subgroups of patients. This may help them to characterise more successfully the nature and behaviour of the tumours. Importantly, these subgroups were associated with sets of genes possibly predictive of the chances of a woman surviving breast cancer and surviving without a relapse. Dr Sotiriou said: "The genes we found appear to work in a number of ways, through a variety of molecular 'pathways'. We are still investigating these pathways and we are carrying out further investigations on a number of candidate genes associated with better clinical outcome. "Our results need to be confirmed by looking at a different and bigger set of breast cancer tumours, so it will be several years before we might see the fruits of this research applied to patients in the clinic." MW Communications |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Breast Cancer Current Events and Breast Cancer News Articles Menopause-cardiology consensus statement on cardiovascular disease and on HRT A menopause-cardiology consensus statement has called for direct action to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in menopausal women. The statement also concludes that there is little evidence of increased CVD risk in taking HRT. Researchers Identify Role of Gene in Tumor Development, Growth and Progression Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. UCLA researchers create 'fly paper' to capture circulating cancer cells Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor. Fertility procedures need not delay breast cancer treatment for younger women A new study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that breast cancer patients under 40 years old who undergo fertility preservation do not face a significant delay in the treatment of their disease when their care is coordinated in a timely fashion. Coffee break: Compound brewing new research in colon, breast cancer A compound in coffee has been found to be estrogenic in studies by Texas AgriLife Research scientists. Drugs to treat anemia in cancer patients linked to thromboembolism Medications frequently given to cancer patients to reduce their risk of anemia are associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, according to new research led by Dawn Hershman, M.D, M.S., co-director of the breast cancer program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Discovery in worms by Queen's researchers points to more targeted cancer treatment Researchers at Queen's University have found a link between two genes involved in cancer formation in humans, by examining the genes in worms. The groundbreaking discovery provides a foundation for how tumor-forming genes interact, and may offer a drug target for cancer treatment. FDA approved leukemia drugs shows promise in ovarian cancer cells The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found. Carnegie Mellon researchers link health-care debate to risk of dying in US and Europe The current health care debate in the United States is complicated. Trade-offs between heath care expenditures, lifestyle choices and life expectancy have been suggested but seldom clearly demonstrated. Scientists uncover new key to the puzzle of hormone therapy and breast cancer The use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has decreased over time in the United States, which researchers suggest may play a key role in the declining rate of atypical ductal hyperplasia, a known risk factor for breast cancer. More Breast Cancer Current Events and Breast Cancer News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||