Scientists have completed the first-ever genetic mapping of tumor cells from Taiwanese with breast cancer in a potential breakthrough for treatment and prevention of the disease.
National Cancer Research Institute director Cha Tai-lung (查岱龍) said that the genetic flaws linked to breast cancer are passed down within subpopulations, complicating attempts to apply research conducted on one group to another.
People with Jewish heritage are more likely to develop breast cancer from mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene markers, a condition that is far less likely to develop in other ethnicities, Cha said.
Photo: CNA
East Asian women develop breast cancer at a younger age than people of European descent, institute assistant research fellow Chen Shang-hung (陳尚鴻) said, adding that and the most common age that Taiwanese women develop breast cancer is 45 to 55, 10 years younger than Caucasian women.
This means that breast cancer results in a greater economic burden on Taiwanese families and the healthcare system, but no genetic mapping of tumors had been done in the nation until now, Chen said.
Institute researchers used next-generation sequencing technology to map tumor tissue samples from 116 Taiwanese with breast cancer and compared the results with data from the New York-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, he said.
The research, “Comprehensive genomic profiling and therapeutic implications for Taiwanese patients with treatment-naive breast cancer” — which included the “domestic breast cancer gene variation map” — was published in the Cancer Medicine journal on June 19.
They found that mutations of seven genetic markers were common among Taiwanese breast cancer patients, a result broadly comparable, but not identical, to markers in Western patients, he said.
The discovery suggests that targeted therapy drugs would work on 40 percent of Taiwanese patients and opened new avenues of research on the cause of mammary cancer in the local population, he said.
If mutations of the genetic markers in Taiwanese are about the same as in Westerners, then other environmental, behavioral or unforeseen mechanisms must be at play for their younger age, Chen said.
The factors could be related to diet, cultural habits or an unknown genetic marker, he said.
Changes to mRNA or protein expression are from causes other than genetic mutations, and could spark cancer development and affect the severity of the disease, National Health Research Institutes secretary-general Hung Wen-Chun (洪文俊) said.
The institute would continue exploring the causes of breast cancer among Taiwanese, Hung said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
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