A new genetic test may help determine whether a small tumor in
the breast is likely to turn in to full-blown breast cancer,
according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the
National Cancer Institute. The small tumor, called a ductal
carcinoma in-situ, or DCIS, resides in the milk ducts and is
generally considered pre-cancerous. But according to the study,
DCIS lesions left untreated will eventually progress to breast
cancer in about 50% of patients. The lesions, which tend to be
small and only detectable via mammogram, have become
increasingly common as mammography has become more widespread.
Given that about 50% of women with DCIS will not progress to
breast cancer, researchers have begun focusing on determining
which half is which. In the new study, carried out by
researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas
and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, researchers
looked to see whether the absence of genes that have been
previously identified as tumor suppressors might inc