«In addition to having a higher prevalence of triple - negative
breast cancers than Caucasian women — something that has been documented in previous studies — we found that African American women with
breast cancer had a significantly higher prevalence of the TP53 driver mutation, basal tumor subtype and greater genomic diversity within tumors, all of which suggest more aggressive tumor biology,» says Tanya Keenan, MD, of the MGH Cancer Center, lead author of the
cancer had a significantly higher prevalence of the TP53
driver mutation, basal tumor subtype and greater genomic diversity within tumors, all of which suggest more aggressive tumor biology,» says Tanya Keenan, MD, of the MGH
Cancer Center, lead author of the
Cancer Center, lead author of the study.
The
drivers, or causes, can be different across a variety of
cancers, like lung or neck, or
breast cancer, and can vary within each
cancer.
Most
breast cancers contain subclonal populations, many of which harbor
driver alterations, and subclonal structure is typically remodeled over time, across metastasis and as a consequence of treatment interventions.
Careful examination of primary
breast cancers often reveals multiple genomically distinct subclones that may contain
driver alterations that follow spatial patterns of segregation.