Fundamental pathways in breast cancer 2: Maintenance of genomic stability

Abstract

The maintenance of genomic integrity is essential for organism survival and inheritance of genetic information to offspring. Interestingly, organisms have developed the ability to maintain the integrity of the genome while allowing specific mutational changes to occur and drive adaptation and evolution. This ability has been achieved by a coordinated interplay of different mechanisms of DNA repair. However, defects in maintaining genomic stability can occur and are associated with susceptibility to cancer, abnormal immune responses, and genetic diseases. This chapter will summarize the different mechanisms of DNA repair and how these processes relate to the development of breast cancer. Since breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease, we will explore the role of genomic instability in each subtype of breast cancer, as defined by advanced genomic and expression profiling studies.