A study published in JAMA Network Open underscored the importance of utilizing genetic ancestry beyond self-reported race in prognosticating breast cancer outcomes for Black women and addressing their disproportionately higher mortality rate.
For over 50 years, scientists have been on a quest to identify which malignant mutations within the tumor allow rogue cells to break away from the primary tumor and travel through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to metastasize throughout the body. Now, new research suggests an alternative mechanism has been overlooked—elusive mutations driving metastasis may not be developing within the twisted DNA of tumors themselves, but within the patient’s regular, inherited DNA.
