By Admin at 14 Oct 2015, 12:55 PM

Women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are known to be at an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Such mutations account for up to 25 percent of hereditary breast cancer cases, 10 percent of overall breast cancer cases and 15 percent of ovarian cancer cases.

Women carrying these mutated genes who are identified as being high risk are often given the option of having preventive surgery – either double mastectomy or removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes – to help reduce their risk of developing cancer.

Preventive surgery is a drastic solution, however, which carries a risk of both physical and psychological consequences. In the case of ovarian cancer, it’s possible the surgery may also not entirely prevent the cancer from forming. Alternatives to lower cancer risk in women with BRCA 1 and BRCA2 mutations are greatly needed, and two new studies offer potential solutions.

Targeting Osteoprotegerin (OPG) to Lower Breast Cancer Risk

One way BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations increase cancer risk is by influencing hormones involved in the menstrual cycle, particularly progesterone. Progesterone increases a protein called RANKL, which is known to trigger breast cancer.

New research published in EbioMedicine revealed that women with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have less of a molecule called osteoprotegerin (OPG), which blocks the effects of RANKL and may prevent it from triggering breast cancer. Therefore, creating a drug that could mimic the effects of OPG or lower the effects of progesterone could potentially reduce women’s risk of breast cancer.

Ovarian Cancer May Originate Outside of the Ovaries

The second study involved a mouse model in which the animals were engineered to carry similar mutations to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in humans. The mutations occurred in tissues associated with increased cancer risk and allowed researchers to examine their effects on the menstrual cycle, which is known to play a role in cancer development, and high-risk tissues.

The model revealed that ovarian cancer may sometimes originate outside of the ovaries or fallopian tubes, which suggests surgical removal may not be a fool-proof prevention plan.

The authors of the above-mentioned EbioMedicine study plan to use the mouse model to study the effects of OPG in helping to prevent breast cancer. Trials in patients awaiting preventive cancer surgery are also being planned. Taken together, it’s hoped the new discoveries will lead to alternatives to preventive surgery for women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who are at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

Sources:

EBioMedicine September 9, 2015
EBioMedicine September 9, 2015
Medical News Today September 14, 2015

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