Dr. Lindeman on RANK Ligand as Breast Cancer Prevention Target in BRCA1 Carriers

Geoffrey Lindeman, MD, joint head, Stem Cells and Cancer Division at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, discusses a study exploring RANK ligand as a target for breast cancer prevention in patients who harbor the BRCA1 mutation.

One of the areas of interest is understanding how normal cells communicate with each other in breast cancer, Lindeman explains. This might lead to an understanding of the cells that give rise to breast cancer. The progenitor cells, he adds, are known as the culprit cells that give rise to BRCA1 carriers.

Results of a study showed that the progenitor cells contained a RANK-positive and a RANK-negative population. The RANK-positive population is likely the cell of origin that gives rise to tumors in BRCA1 carriers, Lindeman says. By switching these cells off using a RANK ligand inhibitor, Lindeman says that this has the potential to be a prevention strategy of breast cancer in patients with BRCA1 and those who are high risk.

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