Study Highlights Molecular Targets Integral to Breast Cancer Treatment
It’s estimated that over 281,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the National Cancer Institute. And about one in seven women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
For those with breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2) mutations, the risk of developing breast cancer is much higher. Between 45 and 69 percent of those with this genetic mutation will develop breast cancer by 70 to 80 years of age.
Normally the BRCA2 gene acts as a tumor suppressor, promoting the successful repair of double-strand breaks in DNA. Harmful variants of this gene impair its DNA repair function, leading to the development of BRCA2-deficient tumors. PARP inhibitors, which are a type of drug that prevents cancerous cells from repairing themselves, exploit this vulnerability in BRCA2-deficient tumors by inducing a type of DNA damage that requires the BRCA2 protein for repair. The BRCA2 gene contains the genetic instructions to create the BRCA 2 protein.