Synthetic lethality: the road to novel therapies for breast cancer. Issue 10 (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dhillon, Kiranjit K; Bajrami, Ilirjana; Taniguchi, Toshiyasu; Lord, Christopher J
• Is Part Of: Endocrine-related cancer. Volume 23:Issue 10(2016)
• Page Start: T39
• Page End: T55
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: BRCA1 -- BRCA2 -- breast; Endocrine glands -- Cancer -- Periodicals; Endocrinology -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Endocrine aspects -- Periodicals; 616.9944005
• DOI: 10.1530/ERC-16-0228
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1351-0088

Abstract

Abstract : When the BRCA1 and BRCA2 tumour suppressor genes were identified in the early 1990s, the immediate implications of mapping, cloning and delineating the sequence of these genes were that individuals in families with a BRCA gene mutation could be tested for the presence of a mutation and their risk of developing cancer could be predicted. Over time though, the discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2 has had a much greater influence than many might have imagined. In this review, we discuss how the discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2 has not only provided an understanding of the molecular processes that drive tumourigenesis but also reignited an interest in therapeutically exploiting loss-of-function alterations in tumour suppressor genes.