Triple Negative Breast Cancer, "I Won't Back Down!": "Fusion Gene", Potential New Target Identified in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

What is TNBC

WHAT IS TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER?

Just in recent years, Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) has sparked interest in the news where instead of calling the tumor as ER-negative, PR-negative, and HER2-negative; researchers began using the shorthand term, "Triple Negative," dubbed the "new type" of breast cancer. Being Triple Negative, you don't have a targeted therapy and your only treatment option is chemotherapy.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer is seen in about 15% of all breast cancers. TNBC is a very aggressive cancer that tends to strike younger women, pre-menopause, especially among African-American women and women who have BRCA1 mutations. The tumor tends to be fast growing and is less likely to show up on an annual mammogram. TNBC is more likely to metastasis early on; has a high rate of recurrence in the first 2-3 years from diagnosis and has a poorer prognosis than other types of breast cancer due to lack of specific, targeted treatment for TNBC.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

"Fusion Gene", Potential New Target Identified in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

"A genetic change that was identified in a triple-negative sample involved a fusion of two genes: MAGI3 and AKT3. The protein produced by this fusion gene is thought to contribute to cancer growth. When the researchers looked for this fusion gene in another set of tumor samples, they found it in 7% of triple-negative samples (5 out of 72).

Drugs that target this biological pathway are already being investigated for other purposes, and may eventually prove to be useful for triple-negative breast cancers that contain the fusion gene. If researchers are able to find a targeted drug that is effective against these cancers, it would be an important advance in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. Only a subset of triple-negative breast cancers contain the genetic change identified in this study, but ongoing research may identify additional targets."...

Susan G. Komen for the Cure | Potential New Target Identified in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
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