title: A Comparative Analysis of Genetic and Epigenetic Events of Breast and Ovarian Cancer Related to Tumorigenesis.
abstract: Breast cancer persists as the most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Ovarian cancer is also a significant source of morbidity and mortality, as the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women. This reflects the continued need for further understanding and innovation in cancer treatment. Though breast and ovarian cancer usually present as distinct clinical entities, the recent explosion of large-scale -omics research has uncovered many overlaps, particularly with respect to genetic and epigenetic alterations. We compared genetic, microenvironmental, stromal, and epigenetic changes common between breast and ovarian cancer cells, as well as the clinical relevance of these changes. Some of the most striking commonalities include genetic alterations of BRCA1 and 2, TP53, RB1, NF1, FAT3, MYC, PTEN, and PIK3CA; down regulation of miRNAs 9, 100, 125a, 125b, and 214; and epigenetic alterations such as H3K27me3, H3K9me2, H3K9me3, H4K20me3, and H3K4me. These parallels suggest shared features of pathogenesis. Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests a shared epigenetic mechanism of oncogenesis. These similarities, warrant further investigation in order to ultimately inform development of more effective chemotherapeutics, as well as strategies to circumvent drug resistance.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Mckenna_Longacre@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Mckenna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Longacre
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. nsnyder@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Nicole A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.affiliation: School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA. ghousman@asu.edu.
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Housman
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. meghanl@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leary
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. karolka@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lapinska
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA. sarah.a.heerboth@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heerboth
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. aw07542@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Willbanks
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. ssarkarmmb@gmail.com.|Genome Science Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. ssarkarmmb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sibaji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarkar
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: D006657:Histones
keywords: breast cancer; epigenetics; ovarian cancer