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- Black women are 42% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women.
- Black women have a different molecular structure that increases their chances of death from breast cancer.
- The study findings show a need for tailored care for people based on their requirements.
A new study found significant molecular differences between the breast cells of white and black women, which could be why black women experience higher death rates from breast cancer.
The study published in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology assessed the regulation of DNA damage repair (DDR) genes in black women's tumours and compared this with normal breast tissue to study its impact on survival outcome. DDR is how a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA.
The researchers collected 104 DDR genes from breast tumours, as well as normal samples from black patients, and compared them to those of white women. They looked at the mutation and up- and down-regulation of the breast tissues,
DNA repair
Previous studies have found that oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies in women irrespective of race or ethnicity. Black women with ER+ breast cancer are, however, 42% more likely to die of the disease than white women.
The study found that the eight genes that power the DNA repair are expressed differently in black women. The molecular differences determine how fast cancer cells can grow. The differences in cell structure were not only seen in cancer cells; even healthy tissue showed a different gene expression pattern in black versus white women.
"This is so important because if the normal tissue is different at the molecular level based on race or ethnicity, then everything we understand about how each of us responds to cancer treatment is going to be different as well," said co-author Dr Svasti Haricharan in a press statement.
"We've already seen how defects in DNA repair lead to treatment resistance in breast cancer. But until now, there weren't studies to measure the degree to which this differs in black versus white women or what's driving that difference," said Haricharan.
Tailored care
The study findings suggest that black women may benefit from earlier treatment with drugs that help stop cancer cells from multiplying by blocking biochemical signals called cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). This is suggested because they found significantly higher levels of one type of CDK in the tumour tissue of black women, which may be able to help black women if they access this treatment at an early stage.
Haricharan says that the findings show a need for tailored care for people based on their requirements.
"The way each human being responds to cancer treatment is influenced by so many internal and external factors that are unique to each of us. The scientific community has to confront this and invest time and money into understanding it because everybody deserves care that is tailored to their molecular makeup as closely as possible," she said.
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