Hereditary breast cancer: genetic code unravelled
Ground-breaking UK-led research has unravelled the complete genetic code of the most common type of hereditary breast cancer for the first time.
Scientists from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research have fully sequenced the DNA of two breast cancers caused by a faulty BRCA1 gene.
They tracked all of the genetic mutations in both of the tumours, one of which was hormone receptor negative and one of which was hormone receptor positive, and found only one similarity in addition to the initial BRCA1 fault. All of the additional genetic alterations were different. The hormone receptor negative tumour had around twice as many mutations as the other, underlining the differences that have occurred in their DNA.
This information may now help scientists identify better treatment strategies for patients with a faulty BRCA1 gene.
