New breast cancer genes discovery
- From: E.Nigma <NoReply@xxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 27 May 2007 14:13:11 -0600 (MDT)
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/6691833.stm
Scientists have identified four more genes that increase breast
cancer risk.
Cancer Research UK scientists led an international team of experts in
the world's first large-scale "whole genome search" for breast cancer
genes.
They sifted through the DNA of nearly 50,000 women, half of them
breast cancer patients and half healthy.
It is hoped their discovery, published in Nature journal, will lead
to more genes being identified, and better testing to identify women
most at risk.
By studying the genetic material researchers found five culprit DNA
regions housing new four genes, FGFR2, TNRC9, MAP3K1 and LSP1.
Professor Douglas Easton, director of Cancer Research UK's genetic
epidemiology unit in Cambridge, said: "Now we know these search
methods are effective, we think that many more breast cancer genes
can be found.
"These methods are already being applied by Cancer Research UK to
find genes for a whole range of other cancers, including prostate,
bowel and lung cancer."
Overall, inherited cases make up between 5 and 10% of all breast
cancer cases in the UK which total 44,000 a year. "Lifestyle factors"
such as smoking and environmental factors are believed to account for
the rest.
It's likely many more cancer predisposing genes will be identified
using similar approaches in the next few months
Leading cancer specialist Professor Karol Sikora
The new genes identified are far more common in the population than
the well-known BRCA1 and BRAC2, but carry a lower risk.
Between 50% and 85% of women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 will develop breast
cancer in their lifetime.
In comparison, about 14% of women with one of the new genes would
develop breast cancer.
This relatively small increased risk makes genetic testing for the
four new genes - FGFR2, TNRC9, MAP3K1 and LSP1 - unsuitable, say the
researchers.
But as more of these "low risk" genes are found, it may be possible
to design tests for a combination of genes, they say.
'Risk banding'
Currently, doctors only test for four genes, BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53 and
PTEN, as these are associated with high risks of developing cancer.
They believe there are hundreds more breast cancer genes to be found.
Leading cancer specialist Professor Karol Sikora said: "It's likely
many more cancer predisposing genes will be identified using similar
approaches in the next few months.
"By risk banding women we will be able to target screening programmes
far more effectively as well as developing tailored prevention
strategies just for those most likely to get cancer.
"I suspect that in the next three years it will be possible to
separate a group of women into those that have a very high chance of
getting breast cancer, those that have a very low chance and those
that are in the middle.
"So all our screening programmes will be targeted for the very high
risk and therefore be much more efficient."
Hundreds more genes
Lead author Professor Bruce Ponder, Director of Cancer Research UK's
Cambridge Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, added:
"At the moment we don't know how these genes interact with each other
or with lifestyle factors, each of which might increase the risk.
"We'll continue to search for more genes, but we'll also focus on
unravelling this information so that we're ready to offer advice to
women who may carry one or more of these faulty genes in the future."
The whole genome analysis technique used by the researchers enabled
them to study all the significant pieces of DNA code they wanted in
one go, taking just a few hours.
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E.
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