Researchers from St George's Hospital in London have found that a particular gene variation can nearly double the risk of developing breast cancer. The discovery may help doctors predict a woman's chances of being affected by the disease, and could enable treatments personalised to a patient's genetic profile.
The researchers examined variations in a gene called vitamin D receptor (VDR). As vitamin D is known to protect against breast cancer, it was likely that related genes would be important. Looking at the VDR gene in 398 breast cancer patients and 427 unaffected women, the researchers found that those with breast cancer were more likely to have particular versions of the gene. They worked out that having one of these variants nearly doubled the risk of breast cancer, compared with the normal version.
There are other gene variations known to increase the risk of breast cancer. Whilst most women have a 13 per cent chance of developing the disease in their lifetime, those with variations in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 can face up to an 85 per cent chance.
'While it is known that five to ten per cent of breast cancer cases are due to a genetic predisposition with well-characterised genes like BRCA1, the underlying causes of the majority of cases of all other breast cancers remain a mystery', said Dr Michelle Guy, a member of the research team. 'We hope that by showing that natural susceptibility to breast cancer, we are starting to unravel how breast cancer might develop in women who have no family history of the disease', she added.
The research, which is published in the journal Breast Cancer Research, has been praised by the Breast Cancer Campaign: Pamela Goldberg, the chief executive, said it 'could provide a real step forward in the future of treatment for breast cancer', adding 'For patients with breast cancer the development of a test to determine how the disease will progress will provide real benefits by improving the way in which their disease is treated and managed'.
Sources and References
-
Alterations in vitamin D receptor gene increase prostate, breast cancer risk
-
More proof of vitamin-cancer link
-
Vitamin D receptor: gene breast cancer key
Related Articles
Search for more breast cancer genes underway
Up to a third of all cases of breast cancer could have a genetic basis, a leading UK scientist said last week. Speaking at the annual conference of the National Cancer Research Institute, Professor Bruce Ponder said that research suggests there could be hundreds of variations in dozens of genes...
Gene linked to increased breast cancer risk
A large international study confirms that women who inherit a particular gene alteration have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The CHEK2 gene mutation appears to double a woman's lifetime risk of the illness, from around 12 to 25 per cent. The researchers, who published their findings in the...
New study reassesses inherited breast cancer risk
Women who inherit mutations in one of two genes involved in inherited breast cancer have an 82 per cent lifetime risk of developing the disease, according to a new study carried out by the New York Breast Cancer Study Group (NYBCS). They found that women who have a genetic mutation...
New cancer risk gene uncovered
A new US study has revealed that a gene called TGFBR1-6A could be involved in up to 16 per cent of all cases of cancer. Scientists at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago have pooled the results of seven previous studies, and found that people who inherit a shortened...
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.