Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.
Its scope is unique. The term "oncotarget" encompasses all molecules, pathways, cellular functions, cell types, and even tissues that can be viewed as targets relevant to cancer as well as other diseases. The term was introduced in the inaugural Editorial, Introducing Oncotarget.
As of January 1, 2022, Oncotarget has shifted to a continuous publishing model. Papers will now be published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form and then quickly released to Pubmed.
Publication Alerts
Subscribe to receive alerts once a paper has been published by Oncotarget.
On December 23, 2022, Oncotarget server experienced a DDoS attack. As a result, Oncotarget site was inaccessible for a few hours. Oncotarget team swiftly dealt with the situation and took it under control.
This malicious action will be reported to the FBI.
On August 25, 2022, the Office of Science and Technology Policy announced a new government policy legislating the immediate public release of all United States-funded research publications by 2025. Learn more here and here.
On May 23, 2023, the Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on high-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy, and equitable scholarly publishing. The Council calls for immediate and unrestricted open access to publishing research involving public funds. Learn more.
Genotype Matters: Tailored Screening for Germline CHEK2 Variants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2024-08-26
“In our study, we postulated that these differences were driven by three common low-risk (LR) missense variants: p.I157T, p.S428F, and p.T476M, all of which have a BC odds ratio of <1.4.”
Recognized as a moderate-risk gene, CHEK2—responsible for encoding the CHK2 protein, which plays a crucial role in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks—is associated with a 20–40% lifetime risk of breast cancer (BC) by age 85. While CHEK2 pathogenic variants (PVs) were previously linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), two recent studies have not observed this association.
In their recent work, researchers Adela Rodriguez Hernandez, Rochelle Scheib, Judy E. Garber, Huma Q. Rana and Brittany L. Bychkovsky from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, found that a CHEK2 PV does not increase the CRC risk compared with controls (odds ratio 0.62 (0.51–0.76), p < .001).
The cancer risks associated with CHEK2 PVs vary depending on the variant type, and risk management strategies should reflect this variability. The CHEK2 c.1100del is the most studied truncating variant and has been crucial to our understanding of the cancer phenotype. Cancer risks seem to be higher with truncating variants compared to missense variants.
“In our study, we postulated that these differences were driven by three common low-risk (LR) missense variants: p.I157T, p.S428F, and p.T476M, all of which have a BC odds ratio of <1.4.”
In summary, CHEK2 is recognized as a moderate-risk gene for breast cancer. Further large-scale, prospective studies are needed to clarify its potential associations with prostate, kidney, and thyroid cancers, as well as to establish appropriate screening measures.
Keywords: CHEK2, pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, germline
Click hereto sign up for freeAltmetric alerts about this article.
About Oncotarget: Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.
Oncotarget is indexed and archived byPubMed/Medline,PubMed Central,Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).
To learn more about Oncotarget, visit Oncotarget.com and connect with us on social media:
