What if we could do more than detect breast cancer early—what if we could better identify who is at risk and find ways to prevent the disease before it develops? Those are the kinds of questions that drive the work of Dr. Isabelle Bedrosian, a breast surgical oncologist and researcher at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. As principal investigator of the Bedrosian Laboratory, her research focuses on developing better breast cancer risk profiles and new approaches to primary prevention, bringing together the worlds of patient care, cancer biology, and prevention. We are delighted to have the opportunity to talk with Dr. Bedrosian about her work, what researchers are learning about breast cancer risk, and where she sees the science heading next.
Meet Dr. Isabelle Bedrosian, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Researcher
Q: How did you find out about the Komen Tissue Bank, and why did it interest you?
A: I have known about the KTB for quite some time, although I cannot recall when or how I heard about it. The KTB interested me because of the types of tissues that were collected. Specifically, tissue samples from women without cancer were important to the work we were doing. The KTB was also of interest because of the clinical information collected along with the samples, which was important for us to select the right cohort of women for our research studies.
Q: What types of samples have you obtained from the Komen Tissue Bank?
A: For our research work, we have obtained samples from women without cancer. These samples serve as important controls for the research we are doing. Finding well-annotated normal breast tissue samples is very hard to come by, and the KTB has filled an important need for our research studies.
Q: What do you hope to discover/have you discovered in your research?
A: Our research aims to understand the early molecular changes that occur before the development of cancer. Our goals were 2-fold. First, to understand the biology of the pre-neoplastic, at-risk breast, and second to identify new opportunities for prevention. We have discovered that the pre-neoplastic, at-risk breast has a lot of molecular similarities to tumor, even though histologically these samples look entirely normal. We have also discovered several alterations that could serve as opportunities for intervention for prevention.
Q: How will the Komen Tissue Bank samples help with your research? What value do they add?
A: It was important in our studies of the preneoplastic, at-risk breast tissue to be able to compare to normal breast samples from women without a cancer history and with no known risk factors for breast cancer. This comparison allows us to distinguish which molecular findings in our pre-neoplastic at-risk tissue samples were relevant to tumorigenesis and which were simply normal “background” alterations in the breast tissue.
Q: Please explain in lay terms how your research might impact treatment options for BC patients in the future?
A: The goals of our research program are to advance efforts at prevention, and our hope is that by better understanding the early molecular changes that take place in the breast tissues of at-risk populations, we can create novel interventions for prevention of disease.
Q: Our readers would love to know some personal information about you. Do you have a non-science hobby? Have you traveled? Do you have a spouse and/or children? Have you ever been skydiving? Do you have any strange phobias? Did you plan to be an actor but became a researcher instead? Tell us anything at all that you feel comfortable talking about.
A: I love traveling to discover new places and enjoy learning about history, art, and culture. I am a big fan of the arts, in all its forms, and hope one day to be able to snag a much-coveted ticket to the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve Concert.
Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Bedrosian!
Click this link to hear directly from Dr. Bedrosian.
