Published in:
01-05-2008 | Poster presentation
Chromosome translocations in breast cancer
Authors:
K Howarth, K Blood, B Ng, J Beavis, Y Chua, S Cooke, J Pole, S Chin, K Ichimura, VP Collins, I Ellis, C Caldas, N Carter, PAW Edwards
Published in:
Breast Cancer Research
|
Special Issue 2/2008
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Excerpt
Genome rearrangement is a major mechanism of gene alteration in cancer. Chromosome translocations and inversions can result in gene fusion, promoter insertion or gene inactivation. In the past it has been assumed that such rearrangements are not significant players in the common epithelial cancers, as they are in leukaemias and sarcomas. However, this view is now being challenged. In particular, Tomlins and colleagues found that around 70% of prostate cancers have translocations or inversions of the
ETS family of transcription factors [
1]. In breast cancer, we have shown that the
NRG1/heregulin gene is translocated in 6% of primary cases [
2] and Soda and colleagues described fusions of
ALK in 7% of lung cancers [
3]. …