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Ha-ras rare alleles in breast cancer susceptibility

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Summary

Over the last several years, evidence has accumulated to support the idea that rare Ha-ras polymorphisms are associated with inherited susceptibility to certain human cancers. A recent epidemiologic study conducted at our institution found a significant association specifically with breast cancer, although the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. We have proposed that rare Ha-ras alleles are markers of a genomic instability that predisposes to breast cancer. To address this hypothesis, we are investigating the relationship between the presence of rare alleles and another form of instability, gene amplification, and are developing new methodologies both to improve VNTR allele length detection and to characterize the internal repeat sequence variations of the various alleles. These studies should enable us to more clearly define the role of this region in cancer development by delineating VNTR structure and function and the mechanisms of rare allele generation. Ultimately, we hope to identify VNTR characteristics that will permit more accurate cancer risk assessment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, CB# 7400, McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Kathleen Conway PhD, Sharon Edmiston, Daniel B. Fried MPH, Barbara S. Hulka MD, MPH & Edison T. Liu MD

  2. Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapell Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Kathleen Conway PhD, Sharon Edmiston, Barbara S. Hulka MD, MPH & Edison T. Liu MD

  3. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Edison T. Liu MD

  4. The Burroughs Wellcome Company, Research Triangle Park, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Peter A. Garrett MD, PhD

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  1. Kathleen Conway PhD
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  4. Barbara S. Hulka MD, MPH
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  5. Peter A. Garrett MD, PhD
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  6. Edison T. Liu MD
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Conway, K., Edmiston, S., Fried, D.B. et al. Ha-ras rare alleles in breast cancer susceptibility. Breast Cancer Res Tr 35, 97–104 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694750

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