Precision Medicine in Breast Cancer

Dec 5, 20234 min read

This article dives into studying the role of precision medicine in tailoring breast cancer treatments based on genetic markers for better outcomes.

Article by Meghna Rao

Member- Freshman

Almost 2,000 people died in 2020 due to breast cancer, and every fourteen seconds, a person is diagnosed with breast cancer. So many lives lost and countless more to come. Patients should be given their best chance at life when they are diagnosed with this horrible sickness. Breast cancer is a disease in which abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumors. Just like many cancers, it is incurable. However, it can still be treated in the best and most efficient way possible. This can be achieved through the usage of precision medicine and provide patients the most optimal chance at survival. Precision medicine in breast cancer care should be used because it can create specifically tailored treatments and tests to better fit the patient’s needs, and it helps scout people at high risk for developing breast cancer and other related cancers early on.

Precision medicine in breast cancer care should be implemented because it aids in developing specifically tailored treatments and tests to fit the needs of the patient. Precision medicine for breast cancer is essentially a way of diagnosing and treating cancer-based on the patient’s genetics or genetic markers in their cancer cells. It takes into consideration a person’s different genes and hereditary factors through the analysis of tumor tissue, blood, or even other bodily fluids such as saliva in which cancer biomarkers are present. This has further allowed the subtyping of breast cancer. Through recent research, scientists have been able to test for certain genes, and how often they are present in breast cancer tumors: PIK3CA mutations are present in 45% of the luminal A subtype tumors, TP53 and PIK3CA in 29% of luminal B subtype tumors, ERBB2 in 80% of HER2+, and TP53 in 80% of basal-like tumors. This demonstrates the clear variety of mutations that are grouped under breast cancer tumor mutations. Not every remedy will work for each different mutation, and in fact, the wrong medicine could prove dangerous for the patient. However, through precision medicine, treatment is specifically curated to combat a certain mutation in the patient’s tumor and yields far better results than the average chemotherapy. In the past, early-stage breast cancer was treated with the “[surgical] removal” of “lymph nodes underneath [the] arm”, states Mehra Golshan, a Yale Medicine breast surgeon. However, said procedures, sadly, “left many women with lymphedema” which is a “swelling of the arm”, and a “long-lasting side effect for patients to manage” while in the recovery stage (Dr. Greenup, Yale Medicine). Many patients went through a tough recuperation period due to the unnecessary repercussions of this lymph node surgery, which could have been prevented by the utilization of precision medicine. Instead, it can tackle the problem-causing mutation directly and efficiently, instead of relying on a “one-fits-all” solution that could cause other harm to the patient. Precision medicine brings about treatments that better help breast cancer patients, as can be seen by survivor Melanie Nix. When tests “confirmed she had triple-negative breast cancer,” precision medicine allowed doctors to decide on performing a “bilateral mastectomy”. This type of tailored treatment “gave [Melanie] hope”, and will give other struggling breast cancer patients hope as well. Because of this treatment, Melanie has been able to live her life cancer-free, and with newfound security in the medicine that lies ahead for future generations. Precision medicine should be uniformly implemented because it helps treat countless patients with tailored cures and treatments.

Moreover, precision medicine in breast cancer should be practiced more frequently because it can identify individuals at risk for breast cancer and other related cancers. Out of 240,000 breast cancer cases in the United States, “inherited risk accounts for about 10 percent” of the diagnosed (Mayo Clinic). This is a huge amount of people that will only continue to grow as new generations come into the world and more people are diagnosed early on. This is why precision medicine should be more heavily implemented. If genetic testing for precision medicine can help recognize and spot cancer early it could save countless lives and reduce recovery time. Precision cancer has also acted as a warning for people with the potential to develop breast cancer due to its ability to test for “inherited gene mutations”. Such include the familial “BRCA gene” (Mayo Clinic). If an individual with a family history of breast cancer was to get genetically tested with precision medicine techniques for the BRCA gene, they and their doctors would have a clear path forward on where to proceed if a cancer was detected. Precision medicine allows for other genes, not including the BRCA, to also be tested for, such as the “PALB2” which is a “moderate to high-risk genetic mutation” that increases a person’s risk of breast cancer by “40% to 60%” (Amy Killie, Yale Medicine). Precision medicine has facilitated the testing of uncommon and varying mutations, which has greatly impacted those who possess said mutations. Additionally, genetic testing in precision medicine can lead to detection and awareness of risk for other cancers, including “a higher risk of pancreatic cancer…ovarian [cancer]...and melanoma.” Not only does precision medicine efficiently fight back against breast cancer, but it can also aid in preventing and treating other types of cancers. Many patients could benefit from this, and breast cancer treatment would be one step better. Identifying risk for this cancer and others is another reason why precision medicine should be implemented on a high scale.

Precision medicine in breast cancer care should be used because it helps create specially designed treatments, and aids people in discovering their risk for developing it and other related cancers early on. Precision medicine is life-changing. It gives people the opportunity to continue living their lives to the fullest, free of illness. It’s time for hospitals and clinics everywhere to implement this for their patients and enlighten a spark of hope for future generations. Precision medicine is here to stay, and to create a better world for all cancer patients.

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Precision Medicine in Breast Cancer

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