Breast cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer related mortality in women. We are using the ACI rat model of 17[beta]-estradiol (E2)-induced mammary cancer, which is highly relevant to human luminal breast cancer, to define how genetic variants and hormonal factors contribute to breast cancer etiology. ACI rat is uniquely susceptible to E2-induced mammary cancer, whereas BN rat is highly resistant. This dissertation presented that the luminal epithelium of ACI rats exhibited a rapid and sustained proliferative response to E2. By contrast, the epithelium of BN rats exhibited luminal ectasia and associated changes in the extracellular matrix in response to E2. Marked differences in expression of genes that encode proteins with well-defined roles in mammary gland development were observed. We hypothesize that variation in a subset of the cellular and molecular phenotypes is heritable and underlies the differing susceptibilities of the ACI and BN rats to E2-induced mammary cancer. This hypothesis was tested by evaluating mammary phenotypes, luminal epithelial density, luminal ectasia and mammary cell composition in a panel of unique congenic rat strains that were developed to characterize genetic determinants of susceptibility to E2-induced mammary cancer in intercrosses between susceptible ACI and resistant BN rats. Luminal epithelial density is a marker associated with susceptibility and was shown to be regulated by Emca8. Luminal ectasia is a marker associated with resistance and was shown to be regulated by Emca4, Emca5 and Emca8, and cosegregates with reduced mammary cancer susceptibility at Emca4.2 and Emca8.1. The number of CD45-CD31-CD24+CD29high basal epithelial cells, which harbor mammary stem cells, differ dramatically between susceptible ACI and resistant BN rats and was regulated by Emca4.1, which is orthologous to 8q24 breast cancer risk locus in human. We propose that variation in the different mammary phenotypes is representative of variation that would exist within the genetically heterogeneous human population and a subset of these phenotypes may serve as biomarkers for breast cancer early diagnosis and prevention.

This richly-illustrated atlas-like book provides a foundation for the biological and molecular understanding of how the mammary gland develops and how breast cancer originates. The main goal is to comprehensively review in ten chapters fundamental knowledge in breast cancer. New paradigms are described in which induction of differentiation in the mammary gland can promote prevention and cure of breast cancer. The text is extremely helpful both for clinicians treating patients and researchers looking for new avenues of development.

This book covers the concepts of molecular medicine and personalized medicine. Subsequent chapters cover the topics of genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics, as the tools of molecular pathology and foundations of molecular medicine. These chapters are followed by a series of chapters that provide overviews of molecular medicine as applied broadly to neoplastic, genetic, and infectious diseases, as well as a chapter on molecular diagnostics. The volume concludes with a chapter that delves into the promise of molecular medicine in the personalized treatment of patients with complex diseases, along with a discussion of the challenges and obstacles to personalized patient care. The Molecular Basis of Human Cancer, Second Edition, is a valuable resource for oncologists, researchers, and all medical professionals who work with cancer.