Breast cancer can now be considered as ten different diseases, British researchers reported last night.
A major study of the disease has identified genetic "fingerprints" which will in future allow doctors to make a rapid diagnosis of the type of disease and the right treatment.
It has also identified several new breast cancer genes.
The findings, reported in Nature, came from work in Cambridge, UK, by the Cancer Research UK institute together with the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver Canada.
The findings come from analysis of 2,000 samples of breast cancer taken from women diagnosed in the last decade.
Researcher Professor Carlos Caldas said: "Our results will pave the way for doctors in the future to diagnose the type of breast cancer a woman has, the types of drugs that will work, and those that won’t, in a much more precise way than is currently possible.
"This research won’t affect women diagnosed with breast cancer today. But in the future, breast cancer patients will receive treatment targeted to the genetic fingerprint of their tumour.
"We’ve drilled down into the fundamental detail of the biological causes of breast cancer in a comprehensive genetic study.
"Based on our results we’ve reclassified breast cancer into ten types – making breast cancer an umbrella term for an even greater number of diseases."
The researchers say more research is now needed in many of the newly identified types of cancer.
Their findings represent a "completely new reclassification" of the disease using gene testing. Currently laboratories search for biological markers, classifying the disease according to oestrogen receptors or the HER2 cell surface receptor.
Cancer Research UK chief executive Dr Harpal Kumar said: “This landmark study will completely change the way we look at breast cancer.
"It’s the result of decades of research by our scientists to identify the causes and drivers of the disease, which included a pivotal role in decoding the well-known BRCA genes."
He added: “More women than ever before are surviving breast cancer thanks to our work. But there is much more to be done. We’ve a clear view of the questions- ahead and now we must focus on finding the answers.”
The integrative genomic and transcriptomic architecture of 2000 breast tumours. Curtis et al. Nature April 18 2012; doi: 10.1038/nature10983
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