Personalized Medicine for Underlying Breast Cancer Heterogeneity

Summary

Breast cancer isn’t a single disease, it’s made up of subtypes that differ in how they develop, spread, and respond to treatment. Hormone-positive, HER2-positive, and triple-negative are the most common types. These differences can affect everything from prognosis to therapy choices, which is why every person cannot get the same treatment. That’s why personalized medicine is important. It treats the patient, not just the cancer, factoring in genetic mutations, clinical history, and other personal variables like age and ancestry. Cancers evolve through mutations, some inherited, others acquired as the tumor grows.

Key factors include single nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number alterations (CNAs), and mutational signatures. These mutations can determine how aggressive a tumor is, how likely it is to recur, and how well it might respond to certain treatments. Genetic testing and tumor profiling help clinicians keep tabs on these changes. This can help develop a treatment plan that adapts over time. Standard treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are still used, but now there are newer options. Cancer care should match the biology of the tumor and the uniqueness of the individual.

(Figure representation created by the author:Chandana Nanjaiah)

Impact Statement

Coming into the program, I already had a strong background in biology, but the program allowed me to explore cancer biology in more depth. It made me genuinely interested in doing my own research, especially around cancer heterogeneity and targeted therapies. I learned how to break down complex topics and present them in a clear, way which I am not as used to. I’m used to writing long research papers, but this experience helped me get comfortable condensing information into bullet points and visuals for a poster. Being around other curious students and mentors reminded me how much I enjoy learning through collaboration. This experience definitely increased my communication skills and made me feel more prepared to tackle future research.

By: Chandana Nanjaiah. The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Elio Academy.

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