New BRCA1 Discovery Could Save Lives
Over the past few years, scientists believed that breast stem cells were the reason for women being diagnosed with BRCA1 tumors, an aggressive form of breast cancer with basal-like tumors.
They’ve recently discovered at the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium Laboratory that luminal progenitor cells…the so-called “daughters” of breast stem cells…are the more likely cause of these types of tumors.
This discovery will make it easier to develop new types of drugs and therapies to battle this type of breast cancer. According to studies, women who carry the BRCA1 gene have roughly a 65% chance of developing breast cancer during their lifetime.
The study itself was made possible because of the many women having breast surgery who were willing to donate their breast tissue, as well as the surgeons and pathologists who were willing to support the project. It’s this type of research that will give the next generation of breast cancer patients a new hope and possibly, a new life-saving alternative.
The study was published August 3, 2009 in the international journal Nature Medicine.