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Breast Cancer Research
Published in: Breast Cancer Research 2/2012

01-04-2012 | Viewpoint

Are breast cancers driven by fusion genes?

Authors: Paul AW Edwards, Karen D Howarth

Published in: Breast Cancer Research | Issue 2/2012

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Abstract

For many years, it was assumed that gene fusions were a type of mutation confined largely to leukemias and sarcomas. However, fusion genes are now known to be important in several epithelial cancers and a number have been described in breast cancers. In the December 2011 issue of Nature Medicine, Robinson and colleagues reported many more gene fusions -including the first recurrent fusion, SEC16A-NOTCH1 - in breast cancers. Several genes, including members of the MAST (microtubule-associated serine threonine) kinase and Notch gene families, are fused more than once. This finding supports an emerging story that most breast cancers express a number of fusion genes.
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Metadata
Title
Are breast cancers driven by fusion genes?
Authors
Paul AW Edwards
Karen D Howarth
Publication date
01-04-2012
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Breast Cancer Research / Issue 2/2012
Electronic ISSN: 1465-542X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/bcr3122

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