Local experts give genetic classification on the toughest breast cancer

Shanghai doctors have mapped the world’s largest genomic landscape of the toughest type of breast cancer, and classified it into four genetic subtypes for targeted treatment. 

The discovery is expected to streamline the diagnosis and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, boost new drug developments and reduce mortality by 40 to 50 percent in five years, doctors from Shanghai Cancer Center said on Thursday.

The discovery has been published by leading journal Cancer Cell.

The research targeted triple-negative breast cancer, a type of breast cancer that does not express the genes for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2.  As a result there is no targeted therapy, with patients only receiving chemotherapy.

About 20 percent of patients with breast cancer have triple-negative breast cancer, and the percentage of patients in China is higher than those in the West.

“About 40 to 50 percent of patients with triple-negative breast cancer have a relapse after three years,” added Dr Shao Zhimin from Shanghai Cancer Center.

Shanghai Cancer Center teamed up with experts at Fudan University and Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai to establish a large gene database and complete the world’s largest genomic landscape after studying 465 samples of triple-negative breast cancer.

“Based on patients’ different genetic expression, we classified triple-negative breast cancer into four subtypes and found genetic targets for each subtype,” Shao said. 

“Clinical trials of targeted treatment for patients with different subtypes have been carried out, as well as new drug development. We are confident we can improve the survival of these patients.”