Download The Cancer Genome Atlas

I focused my project specifically on The Cancer Genome Atlas’s (TCGA) research on
breast and high-grade serous ovarian (HGS-OvCa) cancers. It was seen through mRNA
expression analysis, which helps identify variations in gene expression by measuring mRNA
levels, that there are 4 distinct subtypes of breast cancer based on variations in mRNA
expression. These included luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched (HER2E), and basal-like. Each
of the 4 subtypes of breast cancer can have up to three different protein receptors present on
them, including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), or human epidermal growth
factor receptor 2 (HER2).
As part of their study, TCGA researchers compared the breast cancer subtypes to other
common cancers and their results showed that the basal-like breast cancer subtype is most
similar to HGS-OvCa on a genomic level than to any of the other breast cancer subtypes. It was
seen that both had similar types and frequencies of genomic mutations which suggests that the
two cancers may have come from a similar molecular origin. These similarities include a high
frequency of TP53 genes mutations, high expression of the AKT3 genes, inactivation of BRCA1,
amplification and high expression of cMYC, loss of the tumor suppressor gene RB1, and
amplification of Cyclin E1. It is believed that through these findings that both cancers may
potentially be susceptible to similar treatments.
With TCGA’s large-scale genomic data on breast and high-grade serous ovarian cancers,
it is possible for future treatment options to become available. By gaining a better understanding
of the genetics of tumor samples of a variety of cancers, better therapeutic options can be
created. It is hoped that the research performed by TCGA will help other researchers expand on
their studies so that more effective drugs can be made for treating cancers.