June 20, 2016

expert reaction to study looking at BRCA1 gene, breast cancer precursor cells in lab, and inhibitor of protein called RANK

Genetic differences in breast cancer patients and how they might be used to inform treatment choices is the subject of a paper published in the journal Nature Medicine with the authors reporting their identification of a marker which could be targeted in BRCA1 patients.

Prof. Peter Barrett-Lee, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Medical Director, Velindre NHS Trust, said:

“This is very much a laboratory-based project looking at breast cancers cells taken from patients and grown in 3D cultures. It is excellent pre-clinical work and identifies the RANK ligand as a potential therapeutic target for prevention of breast cancer. RANK ligand inhibitors are already in use for patients with osteoporosis and bone metastases from breast cancer so it is very interesting work. However, the observations would need to be tested in patients and this possible approach will be quite a few years in the making, even if it works.”

‘RANK ligand as a potential target for breast cancer prevention in BRCA1-mutation carriers’ by Emma Nolan et al. published in Nature Medicine on Monday 20 June 2016. 

Declared interests

None received