Unraveling common molecular pathways in breast and ovarian cancer: a transcriptomic and bioinformatics approach

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among women, while ovarian cancer, notably high-grade serous carcinoma, ranks as the most fatal gynecological cancer.Despite therapeutic advancements, both diseases face challenges related to metastasis and drug resistance.This study delved into the shared molecular mechanisms through a comparative bioinformatics approach.Transcriptomic datasets (GSE14407 for ovarian cancer and GSE33447 for breast cancer) were analyzed for differential expression, unveiling 105 commonly upregulated genes selected to aid downstream structure-based analyses.Protein-protein interaction networks were established, and hub genes were pinpointed via network topology analysis.Key regulators included ALDH1A3, ALDH1A1, AOX1, and ADH1B.Functional enrichment analysis highlighted involvement in metabolic adaptation, oxidative stress response, signaling, and tumor microenvironment remodeling, with pathways like retinol metabolism, glycolysis, cytochrome P450 drug metabolism, and tyrosine metabolism being enriched.Survival analysis further demonstrated that high expression of the ADH1B and ALDH1A3 hub genes consistently correlated with significantly enhanced overall survival, underscoring their prognostic relevance.These findings suggest that breast and ovarian cancers share crucial molecular pathways, pointing to common mechanisms of disease progression.Nonetheless, further experimental validation is essential to affirm these results and their therapeutic potential.