Association between BRCA1 promoter methylation in peripheral blood DNA and sporadic breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Breast cancer is a multifaceted disease resulting from genetic and epigenetic changes. Although pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 gene are thoroughly studied, the methylation of its promoter, which leads to epigenetic silencing, has also surfaced as a possible alternative mechanism that influences gene expression and tumor formation. The study aims to determine the association between germline BRCA1 gene promoter methylation and sporadic breast cancer