Better Outcomes from Breast Cancer Treatment Linked to Gene Mutations in Patients

Breast cancer patients with groups of mutations clustered in their genome have better outcomes than patients without them. Researchers at the University of California San Diego found in a recent study that more than half of breast cancer patients have clusters of genetic mutations called kataegis, and their cancer tends to be less invasive. This offers better opportunities for effective treatment. Dr. Kelly Frazer is a professor of pediatrics and director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She told UPI, "We don't know what causes kataegis, and before this study not much was known about its functional importance at the molecular or clinical level." She added, "We've now found that kataegis is associated with a good prognosis for patients with breast cancer."