Biomarkers in healthy tissue may predict recurrence of most common breast cancer

Research by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and the Balearic Islands Health Research Institute (IdISBa) shows the importance of healthy tissue adjacent to tumors as a source of biomarkers for predicting the recurrence of breast tumors, in the most frequent form, from the initial stages of the disease.

Although so-called invasive ductal breast cancer has high survival rates due to early detection and treatment, the truth is that between 3 and 15 percent of patients may suffer a recurrence of the disease in the years following treatment. Therefore, it is important to be able to anticipate these recurrences to improve the prognosis.

Between 3 and 15 percent of patients may experience recurrence of invasive ductal breast cancer.

In a study published in the international scientific journal Breast Cancer Research, the researchers analyzed healthy tissue adjacent to the tumor, called peritumoral tissue, and compared it with healthy tissue located further from the tumor.

They focused specifically on gene expression in these tissues, that is, observing the differences that genes present in different tissues show in the synthesis of various proteins. Thanks to this, the researchers were able to identify more than 400 genes that showed significant differences in their expression.

The researchers specifically focused on observing the differences that genes present in different peritumor tissues exhibit in the synthesis of various proteins.

In addition, using bioinformatics analysis, the researchers created a protein interaction network of these upregulated genes. These interaction networks provided a dynamic image of the first molecular changes that occur in the peritumor tissue early in the disease.

The researchers emphasize that the genes that play an important role in these protein interactions are mainly involved in processes that regulate cell growth. This would indicate that the seemingly normal peritumoral tissue would receive signals that activate it already at the initial stages of the disease.

Using bioinformatics analysis, the researchers created a network of interactions between proteins associated with highly expressed genes. /UIB

High activation increases the likelihood of relapse.

In another phase of the study, the researchers worked with data from previous disease-free survival studies. These studies look at how long it takes for patients to have their disease recur after treatment, which is an important indicator of how well it is working.

GMOT researchers noticed that patients with higher levels of expression of some of these genes had a worse prognosis for the disease and a higher rate of relapse.

The study suggests that changes in peritumoral tissue may serve as early indicators of future recurrence, and the UIB researchers therefore propose that analysis of this tissue be included in surveillance protocols for patients with invasive ductal breast cancer during routine examinations, in order to contribute to the prevention of future recurrences.

Link:

Pere Miquel Morla-Barceló et al. “Uncovering the malignant phenotype of peritumoral tissue: transcriptomic insights into early-stage breast cancer.” Breast Cancer Research, 2024.