Researchers have achieved a new breakthrough in understanding on breast cancer by using the genetic fingerprint of the disease.

They
were able to discover 10 completely new subtypes of the disease. The
breakthrough will result in development of new treatment. The findings
comes from the largest ever global gene study of breast cancer tissue.
In the study, the researchers studied DNA and RNA (this translates DNA
into proteins) of 2,000 tumour samples that was collected form women
diagnosed with the condition between 5 and 10 years ago.

They
discovered completely new breast cancer genes and this means that new
types of drugs can be created to treat different patients. The findings
have also discovered a relationship between the genes and known cell
signalling pathways.

Professor Carlos Caldas, senior group leader
at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute and the Department
of Oncology, University of Cambridge, who is the lead author of the
study said that the findings of the research will allow doctors to
diagnose the type of the disease in patients before beginning the
treatment.

“Our results will pave the way for doctors in the
future to diagnose the type of breast cancer a woman has, the types of
drugs that will work, and those that won’t, in a much more precise way
than is currently possible,” he said.