Potential New Test to Screen for Breast Cancer
Dec. 14, 1999 (New York) -- Some types of non-cancerous breast lesions that typically are not associated with increased risk of breast cancer could be more dangerous than doctors previously thought. But a new study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finds that there may be a way to predict which lesions have cancer potential and possibly give those women drugs that can prevent the cancer from ever occurring.
Non-cancerous or benign breast lesions are common, but are generally not thought to put women at high risk for cancer. One type of benign breast disease considered to have the lowest potential for increasing cancer risk is known as epithelial hyperplastic lesions lacking atypia, or EHLA. Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville studied nearly 10,000 women with EHLA over a 30-year period and found that in those who eventually developed cancer, a receptor known as TGF-beta-R II, whose job it is to 'hear' signals instructing cells not to divide, had lost its ability to 'hear' those signals, resulting in the uncontrolled cell growth characteristic of cancer.
"TGF-beta has been intensively studied for over 10 years now," study author William Dupont, PhD, tells WebMD. "It's known to be a very powerful regulator of cell proliferation."
The researchers suspected that women with fewer of these receptors that still had the ability to 'hear' signals would be more likely to have breast abnormalities progress to breast cancer. Women in the study who had expression of the receptor in fewer than 25% of their breast cells from biopsy had more than three times the risk of subsequent breast cancer compared to women who had expression of the receptor in more than 75% of their cells.
According to Dupont and colleagues, reduction in the amount of the receptor appears to be an early event in the progression from benign breast disease to cancer, but this association remains to be proven.
If the significance of TGF-beta-R II as a marker is confirmed in larger trials, it would offer a potential means of separating EHLA patients into those with a normal amount of the receptor who have the same risk of breast cancer as women in the general population, and those lacking the receptor who have at least a moderately elevated risk and should be monitored more closely with more frequent mammograms and breast exams. It also provides additional genetic information that can be used to counsel women about their risk profile.
Study Looks at Potential New Test to Screen for Breast Cancer in High-Risk Women
Dec. 14, 1999 (New York) -- Some types of non-cancerous breast lesions that typically are not associated with increased risk of breast cancer could be more dangerous than doctors previously thought. But a new study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finds that there may be a way to predict which lesions have cancer potential and possibly give those women drugs that can prevent the cancer from ever occurring.
Non-cancerous or benign breast lesions are common, but are generally not thought to put women at high risk for cancer. One type of benign breast disease considered to have the lowest potential for increasing cancer risk is known as epithelial hyperplastic lesions lacking atypia, or EHLA. Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville studied nearly 10,000 women with EHLA over a 30-year period and found that in those who eventually developed cancer, a receptor known as TGF-beta-R II, whose job it is to 'hear' signals instructing cells not to divide, had lost its ability to 'hear' those signals, resulting in the uncontrolled cell growth characteristic of cancer.
"TGF-beta has been intensively studied for over 10 years now," study author William Dupont, PhD, tells WebMD. "It's known to be a very powerful regulator of cell proliferation."
The researchers suspected that women with fewer of these receptors that still had the ability to 'hear' signals would be more likely to have breast abnormalities progress to breast cancer. Women in the study who had expression of the receptor in fewer than 25% of their breast cells from biopsy had more than three times the risk of subsequent breast cancer compared to women who had expression of the receptor in more than 75% of their cells.
According to Dupont and colleagues, reduction in the amount of the receptor appears to be an early event in the progression from benign breast disease to cancer, but this association remains to be proven.
If the significance of TGF-beta-R II as a marker is confirmed in larger trials, it would offer a potential means of separating EHLA patients into those with a normal amount of the receptor who have the same risk of breast cancer as women in the general population, and those lacking the receptor who have at least a moderately elevated risk and should be monitored more closely with more frequent mammograms and breast exams. It also provides additional genetic information that can be used to counsel women about their risk profile.
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