Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision Oncology
Young adults aged 40 years and younger with breast cancer represent less than 5% of all breast cancer cases, yet it is the leading cause of death among young women with cancer worldwide. Breast cancer that develops at a young age is more aggressive and has biological features that carry an increased...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Personalized Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/11/1620 |
| _version_ | 1797458736708583424 |
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| author | Amirrtha Srikanthan Arif Ali Awan Sharon McGee Moira Rushton |
| author_facet | Amirrtha Srikanthan Arif Ali Awan Sharon McGee Moira Rushton |
| author_sort | Amirrtha Srikanthan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Young adults aged 40 years and younger with breast cancer represent less than 5% of all breast cancer cases, yet it is the leading cause of death among young women with cancer worldwide. Breast cancer that develops at a young age is more aggressive and has biological features that carry an increased risk of relapse and death. Young adults are more likely to have a genetic predisposition and key biomarkers, including endocrine receptors, the HER2 receptor, and proliferation biomarkers, that appear different compared to older adults. Despite being more aggressive, management strategies are largely the same irrespective of age. Given the higher rates of genetic predisposition, fast access to genetic counselling and testing is a necessity. In this review, the biological differences in young adult breast cancer and the current role precision medicine holds in the treatment of young adults with breast cancer are explored. Given the relatively high risk of relapse, developing novel genomic tools to refine the treatment options beyond the current standard is critical. Existing predictive genomic tests require careful interpretation with consideration of the patient’s clinical and pathological features in the young patient cohort. Careful evaluation is also required when considering extended endocrine therapy options. Improved characterization of mutations occurring in tumors using next-generation sequencing could identify important driver mutations that arise in young women. Applying the advances of precision medicine equitably to patients in resource-rich and low- and middle-income countries will be critical to impacting the survival of young adults with breast cancer worldwide. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:41:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c50bc55da21244429be8a1d36457194b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4426 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:41:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Personalized Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-c50bc55da21244429be8a1d36457194b2023-11-24T14:51:38ZengMDPI AGJournal of Personalized Medicine2075-44262023-11-011311162010.3390/jpm13111620Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision OncologyAmirrtha Srikanthan0Arif Ali Awan1Sharon McGee2Moira Rushton3Division of Medical Oncology, The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, CanadaDivision of Medical Oncology, The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, CanadaDivision of Medical Oncology, The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, CanadaDivision of Medical Oncology, The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, CanadaYoung adults aged 40 years and younger with breast cancer represent less than 5% of all breast cancer cases, yet it is the leading cause of death among young women with cancer worldwide. Breast cancer that develops at a young age is more aggressive and has biological features that carry an increased risk of relapse and death. Young adults are more likely to have a genetic predisposition and key biomarkers, including endocrine receptors, the HER2 receptor, and proliferation biomarkers, that appear different compared to older adults. Despite being more aggressive, management strategies are largely the same irrespective of age. Given the higher rates of genetic predisposition, fast access to genetic counselling and testing is a necessity. In this review, the biological differences in young adult breast cancer and the current role precision medicine holds in the treatment of young adults with breast cancer are explored. Given the relatively high risk of relapse, developing novel genomic tools to refine the treatment options beyond the current standard is critical. Existing predictive genomic tests require careful interpretation with consideration of the patient’s clinical and pathological features in the young patient cohort. Careful evaluation is also required when considering extended endocrine therapy options. Improved characterization of mutations occurring in tumors using next-generation sequencing could identify important driver mutations that arise in young women. Applying the advances of precision medicine equitably to patients in resource-rich and low- and middle-income countries will be critical to impacting the survival of young adults with breast cancer worldwide.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/11/1620young adultsbreast cancerprecision oncology |
| spellingShingle | Amirrtha Srikanthan Arif Ali Awan Sharon McGee Moira Rushton Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision Oncology Journal of Personalized Medicine young adults breast cancer precision oncology |
| title | Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision Oncology |
| title_full | Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision Oncology |
| title_fullStr | Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision Oncology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision Oncology |
| title_short | Young Women with Breast Cancer: The Current Role of Precision Oncology |
| title_sort | young women with breast cancer the current role of precision oncology |
| topic | young adults breast cancer precision oncology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/11/1620 |
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