Increased epigenetic age in normal breast tissue from luminal breast cancer patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Age is one of the most important risk factors for developing breast cancer. However, age-related changes in normal breast tissue that potentially lead to breast cancer are incompletely understood. Quantifying tissue-level DNA methylation can contribute to understanding these processes. We hypothesized that occurrence of breast cancer should be associated with an acceleration of epigenetic aging in normal breast tissue.

Results

Ninety-six normal breast tissue samples were obtained from 88 subjects (breast cancer?=?35 subjects/40 samples, unaffected?=?53 subjects/53 samples). Normal tissue samples from breast cancer patients were obtained from distant non-tumor sites of primary mastectomy specimens, while samples from unaffected women were obtained from the Komen Tissue Bank (n?=?25) and from non-cancer-related breast surgery specimens (n?=?28). Patients were further stratified into four cohorts: age ConclusionsWomen with luminal breast cancer exhibit significant epigenetic age acceleration in normal adjacent breast tissue, which is consistent with an analogous finding in malignant breast tissue. Smoking is also associated with epigenetic age acceleration in normal breast tissue. Further studies are needed to determine whether epigenetic age acceleration in normal breast tissue is predictive of incident breast cancer and whether this mediates the risk of chronological age on breast cancer risk.

SUBMITTER: Hofstatter EW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6114717 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature