The impact of rare copy number variants as modifiers of BRCA1 associated breast cancer risk. Women at high-risk of breast cancer are in need of new and effective prevention strategies. Traditional options for breast cancer prevention include risk-reducing surgery, however this strategy is unwanted by many women due to a variety of reasons, such as fertility and menopause concerns. Providing doctors with a non-invasive and easily accessible preventative therapy for women at high risk of developing breast cancer would have numerous benefits for the health system, and for the patients and their whānau. Based on our recent genetic discovery, we aim to investigate whether a drug used in oral contraceptives (ethinylestradiol) can be repurposed as a novel preventative therapy for women at high-risk of breast cancer. This innovative and potentially transformative study is a vital step towards the development of a personalised preventative treatment that lowers the risk of breast cancer in high-risk individuals, resulting in fewer breast cancer diagnoses.

FIRST NAMED INVESTIGATOR: Dr Geroge Wiggins
HOST INVESTIGATOR: University of Otago