Five genes linked to most common brain cancer

An international team of researchers based in the US and the UK have identified 'genetic warning signs', or variants in genetic code which could be used to indicate a person's likelihood of developing glioma, the commonest form of brain tumour in the UK.

Reported online in ‘Nature Genetics', the teams at the Institute of Cancer Research, UK, (ICR) and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre studied the DNA of 1,878 glioma patients and 3,670 cancer-free patients. ‘Variant' versions of five genes were commonly found in those participants with glioma, and this was confirmed by a follow-up study in Europe of a further 2,545 glioma patients and 2,953 cancer-free participants.

Professor Richard Houlston from the ICR who led the study, is calling the results ‘a major discovery'. ‘We've found the first real evidence that variations in the genes which many people carry can increase their risk of this deadly disease,' he said.

Gliomas begin in the glial cells of the brain and spine and which support and insulate the nerve cells in the brain; they account for 50 per cent of brain tumours diagnosed in the UK and affect approximately 4,550 people per year Patients with the most aggressive form of glioblastoma rarely survive more than five years.

It is possible to inherit five copies of these genetic ‘variants' from both parents, and so a person can have up to ten copies in their genetic make-up. The research suggests that the more variants a person's genetic code contains, the more likely it is that they will develop glioma. With eight or more variants, the chances are three times higher.

Little has been known about lifestyle or genetic factors which might have contributed to the development of glioma, and the results of this study ‘unlocks some of the first genetic secrets' said Dr. Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK. ‘Identifying these genetic variants will help scientists to better understand how gliomas develop, who might be most at risk and ultimately find improved ways to diagnose and treat the disease' she said.

Professor Peter Rigby, chief executive of ICR believes that ‘this research could ultimately help scientists develop new treatments targeted at patients' specific molecular defects'.