2023-09-18 10:28:00
Each year, around 60,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in France.
The diagnosis of breast cancer is made by carrying out a mammography. Then, the images are read on site, at the medical office where the examination was carried out.
In the case where the image is judged abnormalwe realize an immediate diagnostic assessment. These are additional examinations carried out directly on site, additional photographs. We can also do a deferred diagnostic assessment, additional images are taken 4 or 6 months later. We can also schedule an MRI, in case of significant doubt, or a biopsy. Then, either the lesion is ruled out or it is confirmed and the patient benefits from therapeutic care.
In the case where the image is considered normal, it is sent for a second reading which is carried out in a screening center. If the image is judged normal, the patient receives the final report of a normal reading. In the case where the image is judged abnormal, we find the same scenario as for a first reading judged abnormal.
Diagnosis of breast cancer: what if the patient is pregnant?
Through a study recently published in the journal Cancer Discovery, a team of scientists wanted to move forward in the search for means of early detection of breast cancer in women affected during and/or following their pregnancy. They explained in a statement that: “The physiological changes that occur in the breast during pregnancy and postpartum make tumors more difficult to detect; we also observed that biologically, postpartum tumors are more aggressive. »
As part of their research, the team discovered that pregnant women with breast cancer carry tumor DNA detectable in breast milk.
A study carried out on breast milk samples
Researchers analyzed blood and breast milk samples from breast cancer patients diagnosed during pregnancy or following delivery, as well as from healthy women who were breastfeeding.
“We analyzed the breast milk and blood samples using two techniques, next generation sequencing (NGS) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). And we found that there was tumor-derived DNA (cDNA) circulating freely in breast milk. We were able to detect mutations present in the tumors of breast cancer patients in the breast milk samples of 13 of the 15 patients analyzed. Considering that, in the blood samples collected at the same time, cDNA was only detected in one of them,” explained Dr. Ana Vivancos, director of the VHIO Genomics Laboratory.
A major discovery for the detection of breast cancer
Usually, liquid blood biopsy is used in patients with metastatic breast cancer for detection or monitoring of certain mutations. However, it remains insensitive as a tool for early diagnosis or prediction of relapses because it requires a very large quantity of tumor DNA circulating in the blood.
The discovery made by the team here is therefore a major advance for the early detection of breast cancer. “ Our results open the door to the future use of breast milk as a new source of liquid biopsy for the early detection of breast cancer in the postpartum period. thanks to a non-invasive technique,” said Dr. Cristina Saura, head of the VHIO breast cancer group and the breast unit at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (Barcelona).
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