Insights gained from an exploration of biomedical information from breast cancer patients could lead to ‘groundbreaking discoveries’ in the fight against the disease, University of Strathclyde researchers say.

The Strathclyde team leading research with data from the UK BioBank say their findings so far reveal the “promising potential” of studying different types of patient data together to better understand different forms of breast cancer.

Breast cancer causes around 1,000 deaths in Scotland every year, and the researchers explain that it comes in different variants, with some more deadly than others.

In May, Public Health Scotland reported a rise in breast cancer screening uptake, while previous research has revealed that screening needs to be more personalised to effectively identify risk and avoid unnecessary treatment.

Now, the Strathclyde team say exploring the unique characteristics of different variants will help doctors diagnose and classify patients and could lead to ‘groundbreaking discoveries’ in the fight against the disease.

Lead author Dr Nicholas Rattray, senior lecturer at Strathclyde’s Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, says:

“It is critical that new ways are developed to understand how breast cancer develops in patients with differing susceptibility.

“The UK Biobank is a huge resource that is allowing scientists to use far larger cohort numbers to understand disease in far greater detail.”

The UK Biobank is a database of health information including genetic and metabolic data from more than half a million volunteer participants.

So far, the researchers have reviewed studies from the past five years and combined this information to gain greater insight into breast cancer – a process called multiomics.

What is multiomics?

Multiomics allows researchers to analyse different contributions to genetic variants in a person’s biology, in diseases and delve into unpacking how diseases enter, progress and spread in the body.

It considers both a person’s genes and looks beyond the set of DNA instructions contained within the genome, to the different ways in which these genes are transformed in the body.

This ranges from enzymes and structural proteins which help drive a range of biological functions, to the genetic components and reactions that create these proteins and use them to create other small molecules in the body.

The Strathclyde researchers have identified 2,870 variants in 445 genes linked to breast cancer, of which13 showed unique changes in different types of breast cancer.

Of these 445 genes, 59 were well-known breast cancer genes.

The University of Strathclyde team collaborated with researchers from NHS Lanarkshire, the University of Edinburgh, Harvard Medical School, Brigham Women’s Hospital and Yale.

New paths to diagnosis and treatment

The study’s first author, Lisa van den Driest, a Strathclyde PhD student, says it is “crucial” to find new ways to detect different types of breast cancer early:

“Our findings reveal the promising potential of harnessing multiomics approaches or other combinations of data types using the large amount of information in the UK Biobank to unravel the intricate cancer biology underlying distinct subtypes of breast cancer.

“It is a complex disease and a major cause of illness and death among women worldwide. Despite progress in diagnosing and treating breast cancer, some types, like triple-negative breast cancer, still have poor outcomes.

“By 2040, it is expected that three million women will be diagnosed each year. Because of this, it is crucial to find new ways to detect and categorise breast cancer to reduce its impact globally.”

This comes after Medical Director of Education for the Royal College of Radiologists, Dr Frances Yuille shared that the cancer workforce is “not going in right trajectory”, calling for more support, research and resources in Scotland’s cancer services.

Researchers say further work could also help develop new and more personalised therapies.

Dr Zahra Rattray, senior lecturer at Strathclyde’s Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, says:

“Our review showed that most research so far has focused on genetic differences in breast cancer.

“Few studies have effectively combined data types thus far. Using combined data methods in the future could help us better understand different types of breast cancer.

“The UK Biobank has not, until now, been effectively used to identify previously unknown breast cancer associated genes.”

Clinical lead on the project, Dr Alison Lannigan, NHS Lanarkshire, added:

“This is an exciting analysis of multiomics in breast cancer using the UK biobank data.

“Understanding the complexities and variations in disease biology paves the way to develop new and individualised patient treatments.

“As breast cancer clinicians we would encourage all breast centres and patients to participate in breast cancer studies and contribute to enhancing the UK biobank and subsequent research.”

Read more: New strategy to unlock genomic medicine; Biomarkers can improve melanoma patient care; Scots women at the forefront of medical sciences; Microwaves offer less invasive cervical cancer therapy; Aberdeen team find genetic anxiety ‘switch’ 

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