Scientists who conducted a major international study into the genetics of breast cancer say they can now classify the disease into 10 subtypes — a finding that points to more accurate, tailored treatment for individual patients in future. In research published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, a team led by scientists at the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) charity also found several completely new genes that drive breast cancer, offering potential targets for new types of drugs. Carlos Caldas, who co-led the study at CRUK's Cambridge Research Institute and the University of Cambridge said the findings mean breast cancer should now be seen as an “umbrella term” for a larger number of diseases. “Essentially we've moved from knowing what a breast tumor looks like under a microscope to pinpointing its molecular anatomy,” he said. “This research won't affect women diagnosed with breast cancer today. But in the future, patients will receive treatment targeted to the genetic fingerprint of their tumor.” Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, accounting for 16 percent of all female cancer cases, according to the World Health Organization. A study last year by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in the United States found that global breast cancer cases have more than doubled in just three decades, from 641,000 cases in 1980 to 1.6 million cases in 2010 — a pace that far exceeds global population growth. Harpal Kumar, CRUK's chief executive, said the new findings would help oncologists make far more precise diagnoses for each breast cancer patient. The study “changes the way we think about breast cancer — no longer as one disease, but actually as 10 quite distinct diseases depending on which genes are really switched on and which ones aren't,” he said.
