evolution of breast cancer with hormone therapy

Longtermsurvivor

9-AUG-2016

New study shows breast tumors evolve in response to hormone therapy

Analysis of single tumor sample inadequate to provide best treatment

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

IMAGE: MANY BREAST TUMORS GROW IN RESPONSE TO FEMALE HORMONES, ESPECIALLY ESTROGEN. DRUGS THAT REDUCE ESTROGEN LEVELS IN THE BODY OFTEN ARE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING TUMOR SIZE AND PREVENTING RECURRENCE OF... view more

CREDIT: M.J. ELLIS

Many breast tumors grow in response to female hormones, especially estrogen. Drugs that reduce estrogen levels in the body often are effective in reducing tumor size and preventing recurrence of the cancer. But some tumors become resistant to these therapies and continue to grow and spread.

A new analysis of breast tumors, before and after hormone-reduction therapy, reveals the extreme genetic complexity of these tumors and the variety of responses that are possible to estrogen-deprivation treatments. The findings also suggest that analyzing a single sample of the breast tumor is insufficient for understanding how a patient should best be treated.

The study, led by researchers at The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Baylor College of Medicine, appears Aug. 9 in the journal Nature Communications.

"Estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers are not created equal," said co-senior author Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, the Robert E. and Louise F. Dunn Distinguished Professor of Medicine and co-director of the McDonnell Genome Institute. "Each woman's disease can have a range of responses to estrogen-lowering drugs. This study demonstrates that reducing estrogen levels in estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer changes the genetics of the tumor, and these changes may be important for deciding how best to treat a patient after the surgical removal of the tumor."

continued at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/wus...

Longtermsurvivor

This is a good resource for those interested in the topic:

Cancer as a biological, ecological and evolutionary process

Requires free registration at Smart Patients. Not much about breast cancer in general, though great resources and connections for comparing notes and treatment across disease boundaries.

Hopeful82014

Thanks for both links, Stephanie. This is an issue I follow but had missed that story on Eureka Alert.