Insights into Therapy for BRCA1-Associated Breast Cancers

Although hereditary breast cancers associated with BRCA1 mutations are rare, they are frequently (80%) basal-like as defined by gene array signatures and resemble sporadically occurring basal-like tumors (which usually are triple-negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]). Successful treatment approaches to BRCA1-associated breast cancers, therefore, might also be effective in sporadic basal-subtype breast cancers. BRCA1 plays an important role in DNA interstrand cross-link repair; thus, recent evidence that suggests BRCA1-associated tumors might be particularly sensitive to DNA-damaging agents (e.g., those that contain platinum) is not necessarily surprising.

To assess the e…