New breast cancer gene discovered
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BARD1 is the name of a new breast cancer gene that was just discovered by a group of researchers in Iceland. They believe it works with the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 to increase the chances of developing breast cancer by a significant amount.
In 15%–25% of familial breast cancers either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 is defective. The BRCA1 protein forms a heterodimer with the protein BARD1, which is a related protein. In previous studies it has been shown that the BARD1 variant Cys557Ser is associated with some breast cancers.
In this study the genes of 1,090 women with breast cancer and 703 women without it were compared. It was found that the Cys557Ser variant was almost 2 times as likely in women who had breast cancer. Women who had both the BARD1 mutation and a specific mutation on BRCA2 had an even greater chance of developing breast cancer.
This BARD1 variant has not been found in women who are Chinese, Japanese, African-American or Yoruban, but is present in some European families.
To learn more you can read the research article at the Public Library of Science Medicine.
(Technorati Tags: breast cancer, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, gene, health)
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June 6, 2006
New drug for HER2/neu breast cancers may be available soon!
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At the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Atlanta postitive results of a study testing a new drug for treating breast cancer were announced.
The new drug is called Tykerb. The study involved 321 women with advanced breast cancer who were divided into two groups. One group only took the drug Xeloda (a standard chemotherapy drug for use in breast and some other cancers). The other group took both Xeloda and Tykerb.
The study was actually stopped early because the results looked so good. The growth of the tumors were delayed about twice as long in the group that was also taking Tykerb.
The target of Tykerb is the protein HER2/neu, which is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family. Around 20-25% of breast cancers involve the overexpression of the HER2/neu protein.
Tykerb functions similarly to Herceptin, but also targets another protein and works from inside the cell. Other advantages of Tykerb include few side effects, its taken in a pill form rather than intravenously and is a smaller molecule which may be able to cross the blood-brain barrier and attack metastatic brain tumors also.
Tykerb is made by the British company GlaxoSmithKline PLC. There are additional studies taking place now with Tykerb and it may be approved for use in the US either this year or next.
(Technorati Tags: breast cancer, HER2, neu, Herceptin, Tykerb,health)
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May 22, 2006
Weight gain increases risk of breast cancer
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A new study to be published in the journal Cancer by Heather Spencer Feigelson of the American Cancer Society has found that women who gain weight as an adult have a greater chance of getting breast cancer later on in life.
The study looked at data from over 44.000 women and concluded that the more weight a woman gained – the greater chance she had of developing any type of breast cancer. Women who gained more than 60 pounds were either twice or three times as likely to develop certain types of cancers compared to those who only gained 20 pounds.
It is believed that the link between the two in breast cancer is due to fat tissue producing more estrogen. In estrogen positive tumors, estrogen helps the cancer to grow. I don’t have a copy of the Cancer paper, but according to Staff Nurse weight gain only increased the chance of developing estrogen positive tumors, not estrogen negative – in accordance with previous data.
A connection between cancer and obesity has been known a long time – this really is no surprise. I would like to see data that shows the link between a percent of weight gain rather total pounds gained. For some women gaining 20 pounds is a lot, but for others – if they are otherwise large women – 60 pounds may not be that much of a gain. If I can get a copy of the study, I will see if they looked at percent weight increase or not.
(Technorati Tags: breast cancer, weight gain, health, cancer, fat, estrogen)
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May 15, 2006
The paradox of BRCA1 in breast cancer
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Mutations in the gene BRCA1 are associated with about 5% of breast cancers. In the remainder of breast cancers there are still decreased levels of BRCA1 present. Due to this it is believed that the normal role of BRCA1 is to suppress tumors.
High levels of VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) in breast cancer patients is an indicator of the aggressiveness of the disease. This is because VEGF leads to angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the process of growing new blood vessels. When tumors grow to a certain size the cells within it can’t get enough oxygen – a condition called: hypoxia. Hypoxia could otherwise cause a cell to die, but cancer cells find a way around this. They start releasing VEGF, resulting in new blood vessels coming to the tumor thus providing the needed oxygen and other nutrients.
Now bear with me – it gets a bit more complicated – for a cell to make more VEGF, it first needs more of the transcription factor called HIF-1 (Hypoxia Inducible Factor). When a cell is in a condition of no oxygen (hypoxia), HIF-1 is stabilized and plenty of it is available.
So this is what we have so far:
A cell is in a state of hypoxia (e.g. within a tumor), this results in an increase in HIF-1, which results in more VEGF, which results in an increase in angiogenesis – providing the cancerous cells the oxygen they need to stay alive.
Hypoxia —–> HIF-1 —–> VEGF —–> angiogenesis
So what does BRCA1 have to do with this? Recent research by Insoo Bae of Georgetown University now shows that BRCA1 helps to stabilize HIF-1. On one hand this data helps to explain why some earlier research found lower levels of VEGF in women with BRCA1 mutations. If the BRCA1 gene is mutated, its corresponding protein is likely to either not be present or to not function properly. If the BRCA1 protein is not present to help stabilize HIF-1, then less VEGF will be made.
However, it contradicts other data in which suggests that BRCA1 is a tumor suppressor since it shows that decreased levels of BRCA1 should result in less VEGF and therefore, less angiogenesis.
So what is the answer to this paradox? No one knows yet, but Insoo Bae’s group suggests that the decrease in BRCA1 in breast cancers may not be responsible for increase in angiogenesis in these cancers.
Stay tuned to this blog for more information about the role of BRCA1 in breast cancer in the coming weeks, months or however long it takes!
Insoo Bae’s paper about this research was published in the May 12, 2006 volume 281, Number 19 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
(Technorati Tags: BRCA1, VEGF, angiogenesis, hypoxia, breast cancer, HIF-1)
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April 18, 2006
Another alternative for high risk, post-menopausal women to prevent breast cancer.
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The big news in breast cancer research this week (so far anyway) is the results of a new study that shows a drug used to treat or prevent osteoporosis can also reduce the risk of breast cancer.
This study called ‘Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene’ or ‘STAR’ involved close to 20,000 post-menopausal women. These women were randomly assign to be in one of two groups. One group were given tamoxifen – used to treat women with estrogen-receptor-positive cancer and to prevent it in high risk women – the other raloxifene. Raloxifene is sold by Eli Lilly as Evista and is used to treat and prevent osteoporosis. The study lasted five years.
The results show that women taking raloxifene reduced their chances of getting invasive breast cancer by 50%, about the same amount of protection as taking tamoxifen.
Both drugs, tamoxifen and raloxifene, are ‘selective estrogen response modulators’ which behave like estrogen in some parts of the body, but not in others.
The women in the raloxifene group tended to have less side effects than the women in the other group.
Raloxifene has not be approved by the FDA to be used to prevent cancer, but Eli Lilly will most likely petition the FDA so that it can be used by high-risk, post-menopausal women to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
(Technorati Tags: breast cancer, raloxifene, tamoxifen, estrogen)
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