Breast Cancer Awareness display - South Korea AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
Scientists from the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver, Canada announced that they had decoded the DNA sequence of metastatic lobular cancer tumors. This form of breast cancer accounts for approximately ten per cent of reported breast cancer. Researchers report that they have recorded all the mutations that trigger the spread of cancer.
This is good news to women worldwide as one in nine women are likely to develop breast cancer within their lifetimes. It is particularly good news in the Pacific Northwest as women of Oregon and Washington have the highest breast cancer rates in the country. According to the Susan G. Koenig for the Cure Foundation, there are an average of 51 new diagnoses of breast cancer every week in Oregon and a staggering 86 new diagnoses in Washington. The reason for this increased rate is still unknown.
The threat of breast cancer is not limited to women. Although there are currently over two million women in the United States battling breast cancer, close to two thousand men also suffer from this disease. Doctors recommend eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, limiting alcohol intake and getting regular mammograms as a way to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
For those with a family history of breast cancer, the findings from the BC Cancer Agency offer hope. Five new mutations were found in the genetic sequencing for metastatic tumors. Dr. Samuel Aparico, the head of the research program at the BC Cancer Agency, called the work of his team "... a watershed event in our ability to understand the causes of breast cancer and to develop personalized medicines for our patients." These findings clear the way for doctors developing treatment for this previously mysterious disease.
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