"Proving Very Poor Prognosis of Somatic Mutations in the 'TP53' Gene in Breast Cancer"

Research Led by Kim Isu, Director of Cancer Hospital at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital

Director Lee Soo Kim, Cancer Hospital, Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] On the 1st, Kim Yi-su, Director of the Cancer Hospital at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital, announced that through next-generation sequencing (NGS) of breast cancer, it was confirmed that somatic mutations in the 'TP53' gene indicate a very poor prognosis in breast cancer.

'P53', known as a representative tumor suppressor protein in our body, contributes to enhancing genomic stability by inducing cell differentiation, halting the cell cycle, and activating proteins that repair damaged DNA within cells. Therefore, when mutations occur in the TP53 gene, which encodes P53, the likelihood of tumor development increases and tumors worsen. Mutations in the TP53 gene frequently occur across various cancers and are more commonly found in patients with relatively low survival rates.

Mutations in the TP53 gene appear in various cancers such as lung cancer and liver cancer, and numerous studies related to this are ongoing. Among them, regarding breast cancer, only small-scale studies using tissue samples from metastatic breast cancer patients, including those from Korea, have been conducted through NGS. This study is significant in that it is the first large-scale research conducted domestically using data from 219 surviving patients who underwent surgery and pathological tissue data.

Director Kim stated, “Mutations in the TP53 gene are one of the starting points of various cancers, including breast cancer,” and added, “As understanding of this gene increases, it is expected to lead to the development of more effective cancer treatments and preventive methods.”

This study was published in the October issue of the Journal of Breast Cancer.