Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40175335›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Systems epigenetic approach towards non-invasive breast cancer detection.

Chiara M S Herzog, Bente Theeuwes, Allison Jones, Iona Evans, Line Bjørge, Michal Zikan, David Cibula, Nadia Harbeck, Nicoletta Colombo, Nora Pashayan and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Chiara M S HerzogEuropean Translational Oncology Prevention and Screening Institute, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1572-498X
Bente TheeuwesEuropean Translational Oncology Prevention and Screening Institute, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Allison JonesDepartment of Women's Cancer, UCL EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.
Iona EvansDepartment of Women's Cancer, UCL EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0225-3154
Line BjørgeCentre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0240-2770
Michal ZikanDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and Hospital Na Bulovce, Prague, Czech Republic.
David CibulaDepartment of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology, General University Hospital in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6387-9356
Nadia HarbeckBreast Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and CCC Munich, LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9744-7372
Nicoletta ColomboGynecologic Oncology Program, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Nora PashayanCentre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Martin WidschwendterEuropean Translational Oncology Prevention and Screening Institute, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. martin.widschwendter@uibk.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7778-8380

Funding

EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Excellent Science (H2020 Priority Excellent Science) 634570EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council) 742432
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

No study has systematically compared the suitability of DNA methylation (DNAme) profiles in non-invasive samples for the detection of breast cancer (BC). We assess non-tumour DNAme in 1,100 cervical, buccal, and blood samples from BC cases and controls and find that cervical samples exhibit the largest nuber of differentially methylated sites, followed by buccal samples. No sites were significant in blood after FDR adjustment. Deriving DNAme-based classifiers for BC detection in each sample type (WID-buccal-, cervical-, or blood-BC), we achieve validation AUCs of 0.75, 0.66, and 0.51, respectively. Buccal and cervical BC-associated DNAme alterations distinguish between BC cases and controls in both surrogate and breast tissue (AUC > 0.88), yet individual sites and the directionality of methylation changes are not identical between these two sample types, and buccal sample DNAme aligns with breast methylation changes more closely. Pending additional validation, these insights may have the potential to improve non-invasive personalized BC prevention.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticEpigenomicsAdultCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedMouth Mucosa

Identifiers

PMID40175335
PMCPMC11965495

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.