Prospective multicenter cohort study of estrogen and insulin-like growth factor system in BRCA mutation carriers

Effects of Breast Cancer Genes 1 and 2 on Cardiovascular Diseases

Carriers of mutations of breast cancer gene 1 and/or 2 (BRCA1/2) have a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers at a relatively young age. Recently, a causative role for BRCA1/2 in cardiovascular diseases has been emerging. In this review, we summarize currently available evidence obtained from studies on animal models and human BRCA1/2 mutation carriers that shows a correlation of BRCA1/2 deficiency with various cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease, atherosclerosis, and chemotherapy-linked cardiac muscle disorders. We also discuss one of the major mechanisms by which BRCA1/2 protects the heart against oxidative stress, ie mediating the activity of Nrf2 and its downstream targets that govern antioxidant signaling. More research is needed to elucidate whether the carriers of the BRCA1/2 mutations with ovarian and breast cancers have increased susceptibility to chemotherapy-induced cardiac functional impairment.

On metabolic reprogramming and tumor biology: A comprehensive survey of metabolism in breast cancer

Altered metabolism in tumor cells has been a focus of cancer research for as long as a century but has remained controversial and vague due to an inhomogeneous overall picture. Accumulating genomic, metabolomic, and lastly panomic data as well as bioenergetics studies of the past few years enable a more comprehensive, systems-biologic approach promoting deeper insight into tumor biology and challenging hitherto existing models of cancer bioenergetics. Presenting a compendium on breast cancer-specific metabolome analyses performed thus far, we review and compile currently known aspects of breast cancer biology into a comprehensive network, elucidating previously dissonant issues of cancer metabolism. As such, some of the aspects critically discussed in this review include the dynamic interplay or metabolic coupling between cancer (stem) cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts, the intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity and plasticity of cancer cell metabolism, the existence of distinct metabolic tumor compartments in need of separate yet simultaneous therapeutic targeting, the reliance of cancer cells on oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial power, and the role of pro-inflammatory, pro-tumorigenic stromal conditioning. Comprising complex breast cancer signaling networks as well as combined metabolomic and genomic data, we address metabolic consequences of mutations in tumor suppressor genes and evaluate their contribution to breast cancer predisposition in a germline setting, reasoning for distinct personalized preventive and therapeutic measures. The review closes with a discussion on central root mechanisms of tumor cell metabolism and rate-limiting steps thereof, introducing essential strategies for therapeutic targeting.