Published: April 18, 2008 10:37 pm         

Area scientists study racial differences in breast cancer

WINDBER — Local scientists this week announced results of a study that could lead to improved early detection and treatment of aggressive breast cancer in blacks.

“We look at this as a very significant finding and something we will be able to build on,” said Richard Mural, chief scientific officer for Windber Research Institute.

Working in cooperation with Walter Reed Army Medical Center researchers, Windber’s scientists have identified genetic differences in breast cancer tumors of black women and women of European descent, Mural said.

The results show that biological factors may contribute to higher mortality rates and more aggressive cancer growth in black women, lead investigator Lori Field told the American Association for Cancer Research. Field spoke Wednesday during the association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

“This study suggests that, in addition to socioeconomic and health-care factors, there may also be molecular differences that contribute to more aggressive clinical features of breast tumors in African-American women,” Field said in a press release.

Windber identified 65 tumor genes that differed between black and white women, Field said.

“With further study, these genes may prove to be promising new molecular targets to which new therapies can developed to better treat breast tumors in African-American women, as well as improve outcomes in this population,” Field said.

Windber’s unique collaboration with Walter Reed and its extensive tissue sample base made the study possible, Mural said. In previous comparisons of black and white cancer rates, scientists had to consider differences in health-care access and treatment available.

This study compared patients from active military and spouses treated through Walter Reed.

At the same San Diego meeting, researchers from the National Cancer Institute announced similar findings in studies of prostate cancer comparing black and white men.

Meanwhile, Windber’s scientists are launching another collaborative study to identify proteins in the blood that could detect the most-aggressive forms of breast cancer.

Teaming Windber and Walter Reed’s tissue base with the Department of Energy’s national laboratory in Richland, Wash., melds one of the leading clinical programs with some of the most advanced technology available.

     

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