Thursday 11 June 2015 11:11am
CTCR researchers are leading international best practice in tissue analysis that helps target effective genetic testing for the BRCA gene mutations in breast cancer.
It is estimated that women with a BRCA gene mutation face a 50% to 85% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, and also a 20% to 40% risk of developing ovarian cancer. In the general population a woman's risk is 10% and 1.6% respectively.
Dr Logan Walker, and his team at University of Otago Christchurch campus, are working on a method to help identify patients who will most benefit from genetic testing for the BRCA gene mutations.
The research has attracted almost $200,000 from a funding collaboration between: Health Research Council, NZ Breast Cancer Foundation, and Breast Cancer Cure.
Congratulations to Logan on his recently announced Early Career Award too, read more in the Bulletin:
2015 Early Career Award winners named Otago Bulletin, University of Otago website
Improving the success of therapy for ER+ breast cancer
HRC awarded a similar amount of funding to investigate the most common form of breast cancer ER+ (oestrogen-receptor positive).
Dr Anita Dunbier and her team are exploring why some women don't respond to anti-oestrogen therapy as well as others. Aspirin is being studied as a means to reduce inflammation in the tumour to potentially improve the impact of the anti-oestrogen therapy.
Read more in the NZ Herald news story:
New Zealand research into breast cancer gene NZ Herald website
Related research
- Breast cancer and the humble aspirin
- Breast cancer: Novel genes involved in susceptibility and response
- How do immune cells help breast cancers evade therapy?
- New calculation of risk of CDH1 mutation in causing cancer
- Encouraging early findings in the treatment of breast cancer
- Breast cancer survivors supported
