A study led by Dr Jason Pitt, Principal Investigator at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore, has identified eight new "signatures" of DNA patterns (gains and/or losses) in breast cancer. By analysing nearly 2,800 genomes, the team systematically profiled changes in the number of DNA copies in breast cancer, with the goal of better understanding the underlying mechanisms of tumour development and evaluating how these structural genomic changes relate to clinical outcomes.

The identified signatures could help refine future diagnostic tools, as well as to better match breast cancer patients with targeted therapies.

Stockholm, Sweden, 17 May 2026 — Final results from a landmark EORTC randomised trial with more than 20 years of follow-up show that irradiation of the internal mammary and medial supraclavicular lymph nodes reduces breast cancer mortality but does not improve overall survival.

Researchers at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a mechanism that may help explain a key reason why older people experience worse outcomes from breast cancer. A key aspect of the study benefited from timing and chance. During COVID, because of reduced laboratory activity, some of the research team’s mouse colonies aged longer than originally planned. This created a rare opportunity to study cancer in these older animals, which is normally a difficult and expensive endeavor. Serendipitously, the opportunity gave the scientists the ability to directly compare how tumors behave in younger versus older mice.

New targeted and combination therapies show strong clinical promise

Breakthrough biomarkers and genomic tools enable earlier detection and better prediction of treatment response

Novel therapeutic strategies show promise in treating aggressive cancers

Tumor markers shown to guide prognosis and postoperative monitoring