Testing for the activity of two genes could pick out women who are at increased risk of dying from their breast cancers, suggests a new study of almost 2,000 patients.
Women whose tumours had a specific pattern of activity in the two genes were three times as likely to die within 10 years as others with a different pattern of activity.
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research…spotted the pattern of gene activity among breast cancer cells with a particular ability to escape from the glue[, called the extracellular matrix,] that normally holds them in place.
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Professor Paul Workman, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “We have seen major strides in the treatment of breast cancer, but once it begins to spread round the body it is still often fatal. This new study helps us understand some of the processes that control how breast cancers spread, and identifies a pattern of genetic activity that could be used to pick out women particularly at risk.”
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