Advancing Our Understanding of the Etiologies and Mutational Landscapes of Basal-Like, Luminal A, and Luminal B Breast Cancers

Abstract

Abstract : We are conducting a five-year population-based case-control breast cancer study to identify how various breast cancer risk factors differ in their relationships to different molecular subtypes of breast cancer and to further characterize molecular differences between these subtypes. To address the existing research gaps regarding the etiologies of different molecular subtypes of breast cancer we will employ state of the art multidisciplinary approaches to advance our understanding of the epidemiology and mutational landscapes of basal-like, luminal A, and luminal B tumors. Our goal is to recruit about 2,700 women in Western Washington who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to compare to 900 women who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer. Participation in this research includes a detailed telephone interview, collection of breast tissue and oral samples and medical record abstraction. Breast tissue samples will be reviewed and tested at Fred Hutchinson Research Center and special tissue analyses will also be performed at the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology. This research may eventually be of help in developing clinically important insights and treatment protocols for future breast cancer patients. There are no major findings from this study yet as data collection is currently in progress.