The annual San Antonio International Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), the world’s most important academic forum for breast cancer, was recently held. On this glamorous stage, Professor Liao Ning’s team from our hospital’s Department of Breast Cancer demonstrated two of their latest research findings, delivering the strong voice of China to peers all over the world.

One of their research findings, "Comprehensive analysis of DNA damage repair gene germline mutations in Chinese breast cancer patients", stood out from numerous latest breast cancer studies around the world. This important academic outcome was shown to the world in the form of a poster.

In recent years, more and more harmful breast cancer germline mutations have been found. In this study, Professor Liao Ning’s team used 102 breast cancer genetics related gene combinations and conducted germline next generation sequencing in 341 Chinese breast cancer patients to reveal the gene germline mutation characteristics of DNA damage repair (DDR) of Chinese breast cancer patients. In this cohort, 47 patients were found to carry pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) mutations and the genes with the highest mutation frequency were BRCA2, BRCA1, FANCA, PMS2 and PALB. 258 patients carried a total of 589 variants of unknown significance (VUS) and the genes with the highest mutation frequency were FANCM, ATM, RAD54L, FANCD2 and ATR. The study found that the DDR pathway gene is a common breast cancer susceptibility gene in Chinese breast cancer patients and the patients with VUS mutation in the DDR pathway are more likely to benefit from neoadjuvant therapy than unmutated patients. In addition, the study also found that the frequency of carrying DDR pathway pathogenic mutations is significantly higher in young patients under 40 years old than in other age groups.

The study is the most comprehensive breast cancer germline genetic mutation study in China. Its findings have effectively promoted the research process of hereditary breast cancer in Chinese patients, which is of great research significance and has won wide attention and high recognition from international counterparts.

The other research finding of Professor Liao Ning’s team was “Single cell profile of tumor and immune cells in primary triple-negative breast cancer and different sites in the axillary lymph nodes”. After winning the first prize for excellent papers at the 17th National Breast Cancer Conference, it was accepted by this year’s SABCS and presented in the form of a poster to global medical professionals and scholars. The study for the first time made it clear that in the process that breast cancer cells develop from primary lesion to metastatic lymph nodes, sentinel lymph nodes are the position where tumor cells and immune cells fight against each other initially. In addition, the study affirmed that sentinel lymph nodes are the first battlefield for tumor cells and immune cells in different subtypes of breast cancer. The study is of great significance in advancing the process of curing breast cancer, which has been highly recognized by peers both at home and abroad.

In recent years, under the leadership of Professor Liao Ning, the Department of Breast Cancer has adhered to the integrated development of medicine, teaching and research, taken concrete actions to do a good job in scientific research achievement transformation, accumulated extensive knowledge and rich experiences and constantly made new achievements and breakthroughs. So far they have published more than 40 highly-influential international papers in related fields, continually injecting new vitality to research on breast cancer in China and making great contributions to the continuous improvement of China’s breast cancer diagnosis and treatment level. Next, Professor Liao Ning’s team will make persistent efforts, forge ahead and strive to make more great achievements to continuously deliver the voice of China on breast cancer research to the whole world.

Zhang Guochun