Thomas E. Rohan, MBBS, PhD, DHSc

Understanding the genetic and molecular signatures associated with a higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer.

Impact

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a premalignant lesion, sometimes referred to as “stage 0” breast cancer. Estimates of DCIS cases that advance to invasive breast cancer range from 20-50 percent. Currently, the standard of care for DCIS is to treat it like early-stage breast cancer, typically with the combination of surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy, depending on the specific case. Researchers have raised concerns about overtreating DCIS and have debated whether the risk of it progressing to invasive breast cancer outweighs the impact of treatment on a patient’s quality of life. Current clinical criteria established for DCIS do not sufficiently predict a patient’s likelihood of developing invasive breast cancer.

Progress Thus Far

Dr. Rohan and his team are conducting a study to identify biomarkers of increased risk of invasive breast cancer. His team is measuring gene expression patterns from a large group of over 8000 racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse women who were diagnosed with DCIS over a nearly thirty-year period. They are conducting genomic analyses of tissue samples from the group who developed invasive breast cancer to identify molecular changes in DCIS lesions and any biological markers that are associated with an increased risk of developing invasive disease.

What’s next

In the next year, Dr. Rohan and his team will complete the gene expression profiling of DCIS tissue. The team will also use AI-based analytic strategies to evaluate breast tissue composition and cell growth and division patterns in tissue samples from those who developed DCIS and invasive breast cancer. Results from this study have the potential to help identify patients who can safely follow an enhanced screening schedule and reserve aggressive treatment for those who are at the greatest risk of developing invasive breast cancer.