BRCA1 and cancer: Lacking HR DNA repair can selectively sensitize BRCA1-deficient cancer cells to DNA cross-linking, alkylating, and double stranded break-inducing agents as well as poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors [5, 6], and improved survival outcomes are observed after high-dose platinum-based chemotherapeutic and PARP inhibitor treatment in patients with BRCA1-like breast tumors [10, 11, 13].