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Therapeutic Options in BRCA1-Linked Breast Cancer and Systemic Approaches

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Breast Cancer: From Bench to Personalized Medicine

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Abstract

BReast CAncer gene 1 (BRCA1) has been established as a regulator of DNA repair, cell cycle, and transcription in response to any damage to DNA. Individuals at the age of 40–50 years, most of the females, carrying mutant genes are at very high risk for developing ovarian and breast cancers, whereas the pathways through which tumor development takes place varies from person to person; the same goes for their prognosis and survival. Various therapeutic interventions are opted for breast cancer patients; these include surgical removal of the defected area, chemotherapy, or immune therapy. Surgical interventions include lumpectomy, mastectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Lumpectomy is carried out if the size of the tumor is small or if it is in a region where only a small surgery can easily be performed. On the other hand, mastectomy is performed if tumor size is large. It involves the removal of certain parts of the skin, some tissues, and lymph nodes from the chest wall for histopathological studies to find out whether there are any other cancerous cells. Removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes due to the presence of ovarian cancer in case of hereditary mutation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are known as a bilateral-salpingo-oophorectomy. Chemotherapy is effective for the non-surgical removal of tumors. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs like taxanes, platinum agents, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Immunotherapy involves the use of anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA4. Radiotherapy is also commonly used where radiologists use high-energy radiations to kill cancerous cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea

    Amir Khan

  2. Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Ali Jan & Muhammad Qaiser Fatmi

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  2. Ali Jan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Research Division, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Saima Shakil Malik

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

    Nosheen Masood

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Khan, A., Jan, A., Fatmi, M.Q. (2022). Therapeutic Options in BRCA1-Linked Breast Cancer and Systemic Approaches. In: Shakil Malik, S., Masood, N. (eds) Breast Cancer: From Bench to Personalized Medicine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0197-3_12

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