After examining tissue from 53 breast cancer tumors and cells grown in the laboratory, researchers narrowed down the search for the genes that could provide a foundation for new treatments of breast cancer.
Professor Carlos Caldas, who headed the research team tells Reuters, "By using the latest in DNA technology we've been able to pinpoint four new genes likely to be involved in the development of breast cancer."
Caldas reported his findings in the journal Oncogene
Research indicates most breast cancers are caused by damage to genes during a women's lifetime. Inherited mutations in genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in cases of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
Caldas says scientists have been trying to pinpoint the new genes for two decades.
With his team, Caldas used DNA microarray technology, which enables scientists to analyze the expression of many genes at the same time, to search for the breast cancer genes.
