A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer

Abstract Background Presently incurable, metastatic breast cancer is estimated to occur in as many as 30% of those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Timely and accurate identification of those at risk for developing metastasis using validated biomarkers has the potential to have profound imp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gina M. Gehling, Miad Alfaqih, Lisiane Pruinelli, Angela Starkweather, Jennifer R. Dungan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-11-01
Series:Breast Cancer Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-024-01914-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850107423534088192
author Gina M. Gehling
Miad Alfaqih
Lisiane Pruinelli
Angela Starkweather
Jennifer R. Dungan
author_facet Gina M. Gehling
Miad Alfaqih
Lisiane Pruinelli
Angela Starkweather
Jennifer R. Dungan
author_sort Gina M. Gehling
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Presently incurable, metastatic breast cancer is estimated to occur in as many as 30% of those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Timely and accurate identification of those at risk for developing metastasis using validated biomarkers has the potential to have profound impact on overall survival rates. Our primary goal was to conduct a systematic review and synthesize the existing body of scientific knowledge on the candidate genes and their respective single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with metastasis-related outcomes among patients diagnosed with breast cancer. This knowledge is critical to inform future hypothesis-driven and validation research aimed at enhancing clinical decision-making for breast cancer patients. Methods Using PRISMA guidelines, literature searches were conducted on September 13th, 2023, using PubMed and Embase databases. The systematic review protocol was registered with INPLASY (DOI: https://doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2024.8.0014 ). Covidence software was used to facilitate the screening and article extraction processes. Peer-reviewed articles were selected if authors reported on single nucleotide polymorphisms directly associated with metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer. Findings We identified 451 articles after 44 duplicates were removed resulting in 407 articles to be screened for study inclusion. Three reviewers completed the article screening process which resulted in 86 articles meeting the study inclusion criteria. Sampling varied across studies with the majority utilizing a case-control design (n = 75, 87.2%), with sample sizes ranging from 23 to 1,017 participants having mean age 50.65 ± 4.50 (min-max: 20–75). The synthesis of this internationally generated evidence revealed that the scientific area on the underlying biological contributions to breast cancer metastasis remains predominantly exploratory in nature (n = 74, 86%). Of the 12 studies with reported power analyses, only 9 explicitly stated the power values which ranged from 47.88 to 99%. Discussion Understanding the underlying biological mechanisms contributing to metastasis is a critical component for precision oncological therapeutics and treatment approaches. Current evidence investigating the contribution of SNPs to the development of metastasis is characterized by underpowered candidate gene studies. To inform individualized precision health practices and improve breast cancer survival outcomes, future hypothesis-driven research is needed to replicate these associations in larger, more diverse datasets.
format Article
id doaj-art-f36ff0fb00a344b9b32f37ec0d77889e
institution OA Journals
issn 1465-542X
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Breast Cancer Research
spelling doaj-art-f36ff0fb00a344b9b32f37ec0d77889e2025-08-20T02:38:35ZengBMCBreast Cancer Research1465-542X2024-11-012611910.1186/s13058-024-01914-6A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancerGina M. Gehling0Miad Alfaqih1Lisiane Pruinelli2Angela Starkweather3Jennifer R. Dungan4College of Nursing, University of FloridaCollege of Medicine, University of FloridaCollege of Nursing, University of FloridaCollege of Nursing, University of FloridaCollege of Nursing, University of FloridaAbstract Background Presently incurable, metastatic breast cancer is estimated to occur in as many as 30% of those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Timely and accurate identification of those at risk for developing metastasis using validated biomarkers has the potential to have profound impact on overall survival rates. Our primary goal was to conduct a systematic review and synthesize the existing body of scientific knowledge on the candidate genes and their respective single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with metastasis-related outcomes among patients diagnosed with breast cancer. This knowledge is critical to inform future hypothesis-driven and validation research aimed at enhancing clinical decision-making for breast cancer patients. Methods Using PRISMA guidelines, literature searches were conducted on September 13th, 2023, using PubMed and Embase databases. The systematic review protocol was registered with INPLASY (DOI: https://doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2024.8.0014 ). Covidence software was used to facilitate the screening and article extraction processes. Peer-reviewed articles were selected if authors reported on single nucleotide polymorphisms directly associated with metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer. Findings We identified 451 articles after 44 duplicates were removed resulting in 407 articles to be screened for study inclusion. Three reviewers completed the article screening process which resulted in 86 articles meeting the study inclusion criteria. Sampling varied across studies with the majority utilizing a case-control design (n = 75, 87.2%), with sample sizes ranging from 23 to 1,017 participants having mean age 50.65 ± 4.50 (min-max: 20–75). The synthesis of this internationally generated evidence revealed that the scientific area on the underlying biological contributions to breast cancer metastasis remains predominantly exploratory in nature (n = 74, 86%). Of the 12 studies with reported power analyses, only 9 explicitly stated the power values which ranged from 47.88 to 99%. Discussion Understanding the underlying biological mechanisms contributing to metastasis is a critical component for precision oncological therapeutics and treatment approaches. Current evidence investigating the contribution of SNPs to the development of metastasis is characterized by underpowered candidate gene studies. To inform individualized precision health practices and improve breast cancer survival outcomes, future hypothesis-driven research is needed to replicate these associations in larger, more diverse datasets.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-024-01914-6Single nucleotide polymorphismsGenetic variantsGenetic mutationsBreast cancerMetastasis
spellingShingle Gina M. Gehling
Miad Alfaqih
Lisiane Pruinelli
Angela Starkweather
Jennifer R. Dungan
A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast Cancer Research
Single nucleotide polymorphisms
Genetic variants
Genetic mutations
Breast cancer
Metastasis
title A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer
title_full A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer
title_fullStr A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer
title_full_unstemmed A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer
title_short A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer
title_sort systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer
topic Single nucleotide polymorphisms
Genetic variants
Genetic mutations
Breast cancer
Metastasis
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-024-01914-6
work_keys_str_mv AT ginamgehling asystematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT miadalfaqih asystematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT lisianepruinelli asystematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT angelastarkweather asystematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT jenniferrdungan asystematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT ginamgehling systematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT miadalfaqih systematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT lisianepruinelli systematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT angelastarkweather systematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer
AT jenniferrdungan systematicreviewofcandidategenesandtheirrelevantpathwaysformetastasisamongadultsdiagnosedwithbreastcancer