🌸 Breast Cancer Prevention Starts With You

Understanding Breast Cancer & DNA Repair: What a New Pakistani Study Reveals

Breast cancer is rising at an alarming rate in Pakistan — affecting 1 in every 9 women 😔. Despite advancements in treatment, many women are still diagnosed late due to lack of awareness, limited screening, and cultural barriers. A new research study from COMSATS University Islamabad, Cardiff University (UK), and Rawalpindi Medical University brings forward an important message:
👉 Our body’s natural DNA repair system plays a powerful role in preventing breast cancer.

What Is the DNA Damage Response (DDR) System?

Think of DDR as the body’s internal security team.
Every day, our DNA faces damage from the environment, stress, chemicals, or natural body processes. The DDR system detects this damage and repairs it to keep our cells healthy.

❗ What Did the Study Find?

Researchers examined 102 breast cancer samples and compared them with healthy breast tissue.

🔻 1.These protective proteins were significantly lower in breast cancer tissue

Women with breast cancer had downregulated (reduced) levels of ATM, CHEK1, and CHEK2.
This means the DNA repair system was not working properly, allowing damaged cells to grow and turn cancerous.

📊 2.These proteins can help in early diagnosis

The study showed strong diagnostic accuracy — especially CHEK2 — meaning these proteins could help doctors:
✔ detect cancer earlier
✔ predict severity
✔ choose better treatments

⏳ 3. Low levels linked to poorer survival

Patients whose tumors had very low ATM, CHEK1, and CHEK2 levels had reduced survival outcomes, highlighting their importance in cancer progression.

What Does This Mean for the Public?

This research is a major step forward for Pakistani women. It tells us that:

✨ Early diagnosis saves lives
✨ Our DNA repair proteins matter
✨ Future tests may use these proteins as early risk indicators
✨ More awareness and screening can prevent late-stage cases