TY  - JOUR
AU  - Schröder, Rieke
AU  - Illert, Anna-Lena
AU  - Erbes, Thalia
AU  - Flotho, Christian
AU  - Lübbert, Michael
AU  - Duque-Afonso, Jesús
TI  - The epigenetics of breast cancer - Opportunities for diagnostics, risk stratification and therapy.
JO  - Epigenetics
VL  - 17
IS  - 6
SN  - 1559-2308
CY  - Austin, Tex.
PB  - Landes Bioscience
M1  - DKFZ-2021-01416
SP  - 612-624
PY  - 2022
N1  - 2022 Jun;17(6):612-624
AB  - The stage and molecular pathology-dependent prognosis of breast cancer, the limited treatment options for triple-negative carcinomas, as well as the development of resistance to therapies illustrate the need for improved early diagnosis and the development of new therapeutic approaches. Increasing data suggests that some answers to these challenges could be found in the area of epigenetics. In this study, we focus on the current research of the epigenetics of breast cancer, especially on the potential of epigenetics for clinical application in diagnostics, risk stratification and therapy. The differential DNA methylation status of specific gene regions has been used in the past to differentiate breast cancer cells from normal tissue. New technologies as detection of circulating nucleic acids including microRNAs to early detect breast cancer are emerging. Pattern of DNA methylation and expression of histone-modifying enzymes have been successfully used for risk stratification. However, all these epigenetic biomarkers should be validated in larger clinical studies. Recent preclinical and clinical studies show a therapeutic benefit of epigenetically active drugs for breast cancer entities that are still difficult to treat (triple negative, UICC stage IV). Remarkably, epigenetic therapies combined with chemotherapies or hormone-based therapies represent the most promising strategy. At the current stage, the integration of epigenetic substances into established breast cancer therapy protocols seems to hold the greatest potential for a clinical application of epigenetic research.
KW  - DNA methylation (Other)
KW  - Epigenetic (Other)
KW  - breast cancer (Other)
KW  - histone acetylation (Other)
KW  - histone methylation (Other)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:34159881
DO  - DOI:10.1080/15592294.2021.1940644
UR  - https://inrepo02.dkfz.de/record/169324
ER  -