Age-Associated Gene Expression in Normal Breast Tissue Mirrors Qualitative Age-at-Incidence Patterns for Breast Cancer
William Curtis Hines, Melissa A. Troester, Paul Yaswen, Jason R. Pirone, Sallie S. Schneider, Michael N. Gould, Delisha A. Stewart, Monica E D’Arcy, Melissa Johnson, D. Joseph Jerry · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · 2020
Age is the strongest breast cancer risk factor, with overall breast cancer risk increasing steadily beginning at approximately 30 years of age. However, while breast cancer risk is lower among younger women, young women's breast cancer may be more aggressive. Though several genomic and epidemiologic studies have shown higher prevalence of aggressive, estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer in younger women, the age-related gene expression that predisposes to these tumors is poorly understood. Characterizing age-related patterns of gene expression in normal breast tissues may provide insights on etiology of distinct breast cancer subtypes that arise from these tissues.