Genetic 'Switches' Linked To Breast Cancer's Spread To The Brain

Some breast cancers are more serious than others. For severe cases, in particular, time is definitely a factor in treating the health issue properly before it metastasizes. Now, recent findings presented at the National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference revealed that certain genetic "switches" can help health officials determine which types may be linked to spreading cancer in the brain. Right now, they're looking at how to turn those switches off.

"By identifying the genes that are switched off or on in breast cancers before they spread to the brain we hope to be able to develop a blood test to spot this change," said  said study author Dr Mark Morris, based at the University of Wolverhampton, in a news release. "There's also potential for our findings to be used as a starting point to develop treatments that might prevent the spread."

For the study, researchers studied 24 breast cancers that had spread to the brain; this included samples from the original breast tumor, which also included a handful of genes with faulty switches.

Two of the genes in particular were related to the spread of breast cancer, hinting at a potential warning sign.

"By identifying the genes that are switched off or on in breast cancers before they spread to the brain we hope to be able to develop a blood test to spot this change. There's also potential for our findings to be used as a starting point to develop treatments that might prevent the spread."

Statistics show that about 1 in 8 women in the United States (12 percent) will develop an invasive type of cancer in her lifetime.