When you buy through link on our site , we may make an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it works .

Most cancer cell have too many or too few chromosomes , distinguishing them from normal prison cell . But a new study shows that salubrious breast tissue can also have cells with strange copies of chromosomes .

The finding challenges how scientists sort out cancerous cell and could influence how early titty cancer is name in the time to come .

an illustration of cancerous tissue in a woman�s breast

Healthy breasts could harbor genetic changes that are common in invasive cancers, a study finds.

Each cell in the human body has 23 pair ofchromosomes — one-half inherit from the mother and half from the father . During prison cell division , each cell makes copies of these chromosomes to pass down to two daughter cells . But on rare occasions , such as during tumor ontogenesis , this process may be jump , resulting in an extra or missing transcript — known as aneuploidy .

Related : Dr. no longer recommend ' self - checks ' for titty cancer

Research has record that about9 in 10 unanimous tumorsharbor some aneuploidy . However , aneuploidy in good for you cells wasconsidered uncommon , and hence it was thought to be a worthful marking for screening for malignant neoplastic disease . So scientists have begun developingscreening methods that essay for aneuploidyin patient ’ roue and tissue sample distribution . However , the approach has not been wide used in the clinic .

a photo of an eye looking through a keyhole

In the new study , published Nov. 20 in the journalNature , scientist launch that about 3 % of the cells in the internal lining of a healthy tit , known as white meat epithelial electric cell , are aneuploid . More than 80 % of these aneuploid cellular phone had change in theirDNAstructure that may alter gene expression — how cistron are switched on or off — and go to diseases , such as invasivecancer .

" This was very unexpected , " subject area co - authorNicholas Navin , a prof at the University of Texas ' MD Anderson Cancer Center , told Live Science in an email . " We would have classified these cells as having invasivebreast cancerbased on these [ DNA ] aberrations . "

Navin and his team analyzed more than 83,000 breast epithelial cells from 49 healthy women who had undergone white meat reduction surgery and did not have cancer . They profiled the genetic makeup of these fair sex and then used another test , called the check for transposase - accessible chromatin sequence ( ATAC - seq ) , to look for any genetic anomaly characteristic of an invasive cancer .

a tiger looks through a large animal�s ribcage

To their surprisal , the researcher find that some healthy breast epithelial cells contained change similar to ones see in cancer cells . For example , one salubrious fair sex had 70 cells with extra copies of chromosome 1 and 73 , as well as neglect transcript of chromosome 16 .

The most frequent chromosome changes in these sizable woman were extra copies in chromosome 1 , and loss of chromosome 16 , 10 and 22 , which scientist consider the hallmarks of an invasive cancer . These modification are often associated with distinct types of cell in the milk ducts that guide to dissimilar breast Cancer . For exercise , loss of chromosomes 16 and 22 are often associated with breast cancers that are wreak on by stage of the endocrine estrogen , also known as estrogen - receptor ( ER)-positive chest Crab . A loss of chromosome 10 , meanwhile , is associate with ER - electronegative chest cancer .

" We did not await to find these chromosomal event in normal breast tissues , " Navin said . The loss of chromosome 16 has been used to key out invasive breast cancer .

a photo of burgers and fries next to vegetables

— Some cancer cells produce strong after chemo . Research hints at how to kill them .

— The 10 deadliest cancers , and why there ’s no curative

— serious COVID-19 may shrink cancer tumors , early data suggest

An artist�s illustration of a satellite crashing back to Earth.

It ’s not clear yet whether the women in the study will develop breast cancer . Now , " the dubiousness is whether char with gamey oftenness of aneuploid epithelial cells or CNA ( copy turn alteration ) issue are at mellow danger for developing white meat cancer , " Navin said .

The breakthrough also lead the scientists to contemplate that distinct case of breast cancers could originate from sure respectable cells in the female breast .

Navin and his team are now inquire whether aneuploidy could be used to identify tissue in good for you fair sex that are more probable to break tumors .

a photo of a group of people at a cocktail party

This clause is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer aesculapian advice .

Doctor of the Church no longer recommend ' ego - checks ' for breast cancer — here ’s what to know

two-fold mastectomy do n’t increase Cancer the Crab survival , subject area suggests

A photo of the Large Hadron Collider�s ALICE detector.

What ’s hide under Antarctica ’s ice ?

An illustration of a satellite crashing into the ocean after an uncontrolled reentry through Earth�s atmosphere

A photograph of downtown Houston, Texas, taken from a drone at sunset.

an older woman taking a selfie

A photo of an Indian woman looking in the mirror

A group of penguins dives from the ice into the water