Ceratin gene mutations make breast cancers treatment-resistant
Treatment given to shrink or eliminate a tumor before surgery is called neoadjuvant therapy. In some women with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant therapy, no residual invasive cancer can be detected in breast tissue samples and lymph nodes removed during surgery. Emerging data suggest that these women, who are said to have had a pathologic complete response, have a greater chance of long-term survival compared with women who do not have a pathologic complete response. "Mutations in the PIK3CA gene are among the most common genetic aberrations in breast cancer," said Sibylle Loibl, M.D., professor at the German Breast Group in Neu-Isenburg, Germany. …