¹The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, Fulham Road, London, UK

Correspondence: Professor A Ashworth, The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK. E-mail: alan.ashworth@icr.ac.uk

Abstract

The BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins are important in maintaining genomic stability by promoting efficient and precise repair of double-strand breaks. The main role of BRCA2 appears to involve regulating the function of RAD51 in the repair by homologous recombination. BRCA1 has a broader role upstream of BRCA2, participating in various cellular processes in response to DNA damage. The DNA repair defect associated with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 could be exploited to develop new targeted therapeutic approaches for cancer occurring in mutation carriers.