Breast cancer: genetic predisposition and exposure to radiation

The identification of breast cancer susceptibility genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, and p53, has been accompanied by the examination of the effects of radiation in combination with genetic mutations at these loci. Women at high risk for developing breast cancer may respond differently than the general population to low- and high-dose radiation exposures associated with screening and treatment. Epidemiologic studies are being performed to investigate the effects of radiation on subsequent breast cancer development in genetically predisposed individuals. Mouse strains with specific genetic modifications are being created to study the consequence of both inherited mutations and radiation on mammary gland carcinogenesis. Finally, studies investigating DNA damage-response pathways after radiation exposure are being performed. Recent work on the effects of several known or suspected breast cancer susceptibility genes, alone or in combination with radiation, is presented here, and directions for future research are considered.