BRCA1 Gene News and Research

RSS

BRCA1 is a gene on chromosome 17 that normally helps to suppress cell growth. A person who inherits certain mutations (changes) in a BRCA1 gene has a higher risk of getting breast, ovarian, prostate, and other types of cancer.

Women with family history of cancer need to have proper counseling, testing

In the wake of actress Angelina Jolie's public announcement that she recently underwent a preventive double mastectomy, Loma Linda University Medical Center urges women with a family history of cancer to have proper counseling and testing, if indicated, to see if they are at similar risk.

17 May 2013

Angelina Jolie's choice underscores screening and treatment costs

News outlets report on the cost of and questions surrounding Angelina Jolie's decision to have genetic testing and then to undergo a double mastectomy as preventive surgery.

16 May 2013

First Edition: May 15, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the latest Congressional Budget Office projections could further stall efforts to reach a grand bargain that includes changes to Medicare and other entitlement programs.

15 May 2013

Three missense variants of BRCA1 gene linked to breast or ovarian cancer risk, study shows

Researchers of the hereditary cancer research group at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute and the Catalan Institute of Oncology conducted a functional and structural study of seven missense variants of the BRCA1 gene concluding that three of these variants are pathogenic, linked to the risk of suffering breast or ovarian cancer.

19 Apr 2013

Biological markers for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC): an interview with Alexandre Templier, CEO of Quinten

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of cancer that has none of the three markers that are currently used for targeted chemotherapy. These markers are estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2.

27 Mar 2013

SLU team discovers molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer

In research published in the Jan. 17 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology, a team led by Susana Gonzalo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University, has discovered a molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer, an often deadly and treatment resistant form of cancer that tends to strike younger women.

23 Jan 2013

Researchers reveal critical role of BRCA1 gene in maintenance of hair follicle stem cells

Our DNA, which stores our genetic information, is constantly submitted to damage. If not properly repaired, DNA damage can lead to cell death, which may in turn lead to tissue exhaustion and ageing, or induce mutations resulting in uncontrolled cell proliferation and cancer. Brca1 is a key gene that mediates DNA repair. Mutations in Brca1 lead to familial and sporadic breast and ovarian cancer in humans.

27 Dec 2012

Living examples of hope and determination against cancer

Their battle with cancer is not the only thing that unites the Labrada sisters of Houston who are now cancer-free and strong advocates for women taking charge of their bodies.

29 Oct 2012

Bahamas' Ministry of Health unveils plans to advance breast cancer programs

Bahamas' Ministry of Health on Wednesday unveiled its plans to advance breast cancer programs in The Bahamas through a public-private partnership with the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's leading breast cancer organization.

15 Sep 2012

Study finds BRCA1 mutations in nearly one in five TN breast cancer patients

Leading breast cancer experts are calling for women under 50 who are diagnosed with triple-negative (TN) breast cancer to be offered testing for faults in the BRCA1 gene, according to a report published in the British Journal of Cancer.

15 Feb 2012

KSU, St. Michael's receive U.S. patent to use BRCA1 gene for cardiovascular disease

St. Michael's Hospital and King Saud University have received their first joint U.S. patent to use the BRCA1 gene as a therapy for cardiovascular disease.

13 Feb 2012

Women with breast cancer more likely to develop heart disease

Women who are at risk for breast cancer may also be at greater risk for heart disease, new research has found.

21 Dec 2011

Risk of breast cancer in the genetically predisposed

A new study showed that women who have been successfully treated for cancer in one breast and who carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 cancer gene are at increased risk for developing cancer in their other breast.

12 Dec 2011

Just couple of glasses of wine a day could raise risk of breast cancer: Study

According to a new major study just two glasses of a wine a day can increase the risk of breast cancer among women by 50%. Researchers also warn that women who drink regularly in their 20s and 30s are far more likely to develop breast cancer in later life, regardless of whether they reduce their alcohol consumption.

7 Nov 2011

Breast cancer not 100% inherited: Study

According to study results released this Monday, women with a close relative with breast cancer may not be at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. The findings may bring comfort to women from high-risk families after a 2007 study suggested that simply having a relative with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation raised their risk of developing breast cancer, even if they had tested negative for the genes.

1 Nov 2011

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer

Experts from Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) provide some clues as to who should be using these tests. They explain that women who have been diagnosed with cancer and/or people who have a strong family history of cancer can consider genetic testing. Red flags to consider are anyone in the family who developed cancer at a young age, multiple family members who developed cancer, if a person experienced bilateral cancer (cancer in both breasts), breast and ovarian cancer in the same woman, or cancer appeared where it wasn’t expected (like breast cancer in men)

26 Sep 2011

Researchers discover cellular origins of breast cancer

Identifying the cellular origins of breast cancer might lead to earlier diagnosis and more efficient management of the disease. New research led by Charlotte Kuperwasser of Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) has determined that common forms of breast cancer originate from breast cells known as luminal epithelial cells while rarer forms of breast cancer, such as metaplastic carcinomas, originate from basal epithelial cell types.

23 Sep 2011

Breast cancer patients with BRCA1 mutation experience pCR after neoadjuvent chemotherapy

Nearly half of breast cancer patients carrying the BRCA1 gene mutation experience a complete pathological response (pCR) - the disappearance of all evidence of disease from the breast tissue and lymph nodes - regardless of disease stage after standard neoadjuvent chemotherapy, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Sep 2011

Researchers discover mechanisms behind BRCA1 gene mutations in breast and ovarian cancer

It is widely known that mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility 1 (BRCA1) gene significantly increase the chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers, but the mechanisms at play are not fully understood. Now, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have shown that certain BRCA1 mutations result in excessive, uncontrolled DNA repair, which challenges the prior assumption that mutations in BRCA1 only contribute to breast cancer through a reduction in function.

3 Sep 2011

Genetic culprit behind ovarian cancer discovered

A study has revealed that a single fault in a gene that normally helps the body to repair its DNA increases a woman's risk of ovarian cancer six-fold. One in every 11 women who carry the faulty gene is likely to develop ovarian cancer at some point in her life compared with a typical risk of about one in 70 for women in the general population, scientists said.

11 Aug 2011