Gene mutation 'hotspots' linked to better breast cancer outcomes
Thursday, June 30, 2016 - 17:01
in Biology & Nature
In kataegis, multiple mutations cluster in a few hotspots in a cancer genome. Here, cytosine (C) bases are commonly substituted with thymine (T) in the DNA strand. Kataegis is a recently discovered phenomenon in which multiple mutations cluster in a few hotspots in a genome. The anomaly was previously found in some cancers, but it has been unclear what role kataegis plays in tumor development and patient outcomes. Using a database of human tumor genomic data, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have discovered that kataegis is actually a positive marker in breast cancer -- patients with these mutation hotspots have less invasive tumors and better prognoses.