Single Tissue Sample Reveals Breast Cancer Spread

A single tissue sample revealed if breast cancer has spread. That means the most aggressive cancer types can be detected at an early stage.

A new method makes it possible to detect the most aggressive types of breast cancer far earlier than previously. At the same time, women with a 'mild' type could be notified quickly that they are out of danger and not have to carry their fears for months without reason.

Ingrid Gribbestad and colleagues at the MR Centre at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU, Trondheim, Norway) have developed a new method which involves looking at the biopsies (breast tissue samples) at the molecular level. Today, we have to study the cancerous tumors in microscopes and observe the dangerous changes with our bare eyes. We operate on the lower level when it comes to size, Dr.Gribbestad said.

The method involves taking a 'fingerprint' of the molecules in the tissue sample. This is the first time that the method has been used for breast cancer. There is no doubt that we are at the top internationally in this area, said Dr. Gribbestad.

Dr. Gribbestad can report something about the behavior of a particular cancerous tumor if she knows the history and the molecules of the tumor in question. That makes it possible, for instance, to establish whether the cancer in this tissue has spread to lymph nodes elsewhere in the body. Another positive aspect is that this 'fingerprint' also indicates whether the patient will respond to the medical treatment we initiate, Dr. Gribbestad explained.

That makes it possible to find the patients who should be given chemotherapy even before the operation. In addition, cases where it is safe to remove only the affected tissue instead of the entire breast will be easier to find, meaning that more breasts will be spared.

With this we leave the group treatment for the benefit of individual treatment adapted to each patient's disease profile, concluded Ingrid Gribbestad.



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The Norwegian University of Science and Technology