Using Breastmilk From BRCA Mutation Carriers as an Assessment Tool for Breast Cancer Risk

Presenter: Madeleine Mosteiro

Faculty Sponsor: Kathleen Arcaro

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Animal Science

Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, Auditorium, A56

ABSTRACT

Women with a pathogenic germline mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have an elevated lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Additionally, the risk of developing increases for all women during pregnancy and up to several years post-partum. However, mammograms and MRIs –breast cancer detection tests, the latter for BRCA mutation carriers– work poorly on lactating breasts. The use of breast milk as a liquid biopsy could mitigate this gap by assessing individuals’ risk and helping to develop strategies for prevention. Breast milk collection is a non-invasive, easy, and reliable way to assess breast health in postpartum women. By analyzing breast milk from BRCA mutation carriers, key differences in breast milk composition associated with their risk can be identified.

Mesoscale Discovery (MSD) technology was used to evaluate pro-inflammatory cytokines and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in breast milk samples from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers and controls with the wildtype allele. A total of 40 participants, 18 with germline BRCA mutations and 22 controls, were studied. Analysis will include comparisons between BRCA and control groups, between BRCA1 and BRCA2 groups, and analyte correlations with other breast cancer risk factors including but not limited to age, body mass index, alcohol consumption and baby’s age at time of milk donation. It is hypothesized that IL-10, IL-13, IL-2, and IL-8 will have higher levels in BRCA mutation carriers as compared to controls, while OPG levels will be lowered in BRCA mutation carriers as compared to controls.

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