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.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
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