Study: Molecular Analysis of Early Breast Cancer May Aid in Treatment

Molecular changes occurring in early stages of breast cancer appear to provide key information about the aggressiveness of the tumor that may help doctors determine the best course of treatment, according to researchers.

The researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and the biotech company Arcturus reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they identified groups of genes "turned on" in a tumor cell that appear to correlate with tumor grades and with the transition from the non-lethal stage to the potentially lethal stage.

"We were able to obtain accurate molecular signatures from microscopic samples of pure cell populations representing all of the distinct stages and grades of cancer," said Mark Erlander, PhD, chief scientific officer of Arcturus.

"The molecular results provide new insight into the pathological changes that we have been observing for decades," said Dr. Dennis Sgroi of Massachusetts General.

In their study, the researchers said they found that the preinvasive stages of breast cancer within one patient demonstrated a gene expression pattern highly similar to that seen in another patient at the invasive, potentially lethal stage.

This suggests that the genes conferring invasive behavior may already be "turned on" in the pre-invasive stage. Thus, early molecular analysis of biopsy samples may provide key information for choosing the best therapeutic options.

"We feel that a new generation of diagnostic tests based on molecular analysis of tumor biopsies could provide superior criteria for determining which drugs are best suited for a particular patient and whether more aggressive treatment is warranted," Erlander added.

Other Sources: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences