Breast Cancer: Taking a Closer Look at BRCA 1 and BRCA 2

1
Breast CancerTaking a Closer Look at BRCA 1 and
BRCA 2

• Courtney Morgan
• Sacramento State University, California
• Biology 184, Humboldt Hall 220

2
What We Will Discuss

• Different Types Of Breast Cancer
• Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
• Causes Of Breast Cancer
• What Are The BRCA Genes and How Do They Increase
  Your Risk Of Breast Cancer?
• What Can You Do To Catch Breast Cancer Early?
• What Are Your Treatment Options If You Do Develop
  Breast Cancer?

3
Different Types of Breast Cancer

• Invasive (infiltrating)
• Ductal carcinoma (IDC)
• most common breast cancer
• starts in a milk passage or duct, breaks through
  duct wall, invades breast tissue
• Lobular carcinoma (ILC)
• starts in the milk glands or lobules
• can spread to other parts of the body
• Noninvasive
• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
• most common noninvasive
• confined to the ducts
• Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
• begins in the milk-making glands
• does not go through the wall of the lobules
• .

(myhealth.gov, 2008)
4
Symptoms of Breast Cancer

• Swelling of all or part of the breast
• Skin irritation or dimpling
• Breast pain
• Nipple pain or nipple turning inward
• Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple
  breast skin
• Nipple discharge other than breast milk
• A lump in the underarm area
• May be asymptomatic

(Breastcancer.org, 2008)
5
Causes of Breast Cancer

• Breast cancers are caused by abnormal genes
• Abnormal genes can be inherited
• Breast cancers diagnosed at a young age can be
  due to inherited mutated genes (Wooster, 1994)
• Normal genes can acquire mutations (90 of
  breast cancers)
• Mutagens/Toxic exposure
• DNA replication errors
• Hormonal influences
• Diet
• Example BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 tumor suppressor
  genes

(breastcancer.org, 2008)
(breastcancer.org, 2008)
6
What Are the BRCA Genes and How Do They Increase
Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

• BRCA 1
• Located on chromosome 17q21
• gt1,000 mutations associated with this gene and
  breast cancer
• (Genetics Home Reference, 2007)
• BRCA 2
• Located on chromosome 13q12.3
• gt 800 mutations identified that can lead to
  breast cancer
• Mutations are usually caused by small insertions
  and deletions
• (Genetics Home Reference, 2007)

(Genetics Home Reference, 2007)
7
What Are the BRCA Genes and How Do They Increase
Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

• BRCA (BReast CAncer) 1 and 2 are tumor suppressor
  genes (breastcancer.org, 2008)
• Function
• To keep cells from growing out of control
• Involved in DNA damage-response pathway (DNA
  repair)
• (breastcancer.org, 2008)
• We all have 2 copies of these genes in most cells
  of our bodies (Yes, even men!!!)
  (breastcancer.org, 2008)
• Mutations
• Usually result in a truncated protein
• Result in ineffective DNA repair
• (Genetics Home Reference, 2007)
• Mutations are inherited in an autosomal dominant
  pattern (NCBI, 2003)
• Only one mutated gene needs to be passed to you
  for you to inherit the disease (Medline Plus,
  2009)
• If a mutated copy of one of these genes is
  inherited
• Leads to higher risk of second copy becoming
  mutated, which could cause breast cancer
• If one good copy is present, it will still be
  able to stop abnormal cell growth
• Cancer develops when second copy is or becomes
  dysfunctional
• (NCBI, 2003)

8
What Can You Do to Catch Breast Cancer Early?

• Self Exam
• Feel for lumps in your armpits and breasts
• Look for any of the signs stated previously
• Should be done monthly
• Mammograms
• Yearly
• If you are over 40 years of age
• If you have a family history of breast cancer,
  you should start getting mammograms at the age of
  30
• Genetic Testing
• If you have a history of breast cancer in your
  family
• (breastcancer.org, 2009)

(Myhealth.gov, 2008)
9
What Are Your Treatment Options If You Do Develop
Breast Cancer?

• Surgery
• Lumpectomy
• Mastectomy
• Lymph node dissection
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation Therapy
• Hormonal Therapy
• Complementary and Holistic Medicines
• Acupuncture
• Meditation
• Yoga
• (breastcancer.org, 2009)

10
Works Cited

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  /medlineplus/ency/article/002049.htmgt.
• "BRCA 1". U.S. National Library of Medicine. 20
  November 2009 lthttp//ghr.nlm.nih.gov/genebrca1gt.
  
• "BRCA 2". U.S. National Library of Medicine. 20
  November 2009 lthttp//ghr.nlm.nih.gov/genebrca2gt
  .
• "Breast Cancer". Ministry of Health Malaysia. 20
  November 2009 lthttp//www.myhealth.gov.my/myhealth
  /eng/dewasa_content.jsp?langdewasasub0bhseng
  storyid1190875870300gt.
• "Genetic Basis of Cancer Syndromes". BC Decker,
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  Breastcancer.org. 20 November 2009
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  2009 lthttp//www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing
  /genetic/gt.
• "How Do Abnormal Genes Cause Cancer?".
  Breastcancer.org. 20 November 2009
  lthttp//www.breastcancer.org/risk/genetic/abnrml_g
  enes.jspgt.
• "Inflammatory breast cancer". Georgia Department
  of Community Health. 20 November 2009
  lthttp//georgiahealthinfo.gov/cms/node/127113gt.
• "Symptoms Diagnosis". Breastcancer.org. 20
  November 2009 lthttp//www.breastcancer.org/symptom
  s/gt.
• "Symptoms of Breast Cancer". Breastcancer.org. 20
  November 2009 lthttp//www.breastcancer.org/symptom
  s/understand_bc/symptoms.jspgt.
• "Treatment Side Effects". Breastcancer.org. 20
  November 2009 lthttp//www.breastcancer.org/treatme
  nt/gt.
• Wooster, Richard, Susan L. Neuhausen, Jonathan
  Mangion, Yvette Quirk, Deborah Ford, Nadine
  Collins, Kim Nguyen, Sheila Seal, Thao Tran,
  Diane Averill, Patty Fields, Gill Marshall,
  Steven Narod, Gilbert M. Lenoir, Henry Lynch,
  Jean Feunteun, Peter Devilee, Cees J. Cornelisse,
  Fred H. Menko, Peter A. Daly, Wilma Ormiston,
  Ross McManus, Carol Pye, Cathryn M. Lewis, Lisa
  A. Cannon-Albright, Julian Peto, Bruce A.J.
  Ponder, Mark H. Skolnick, Douglas F. Easton,
  David E. Goldgar, and Michael R. Stratton.
  "Localization of a Breast Cancer Susceptibility
  Gene, BRCA2, to Chromosome 13q12-13." Science
  265.5181 (1994) 2088-090. JSTOR. Web. 19 Sept.
  2009.