Researchers find gene variants Linked to breast and ovarian cancer

A group of cancer researchers, gathered from around the world, have discovered new genetic variants in five regions of the genome that affect the risk of ovarian cancer in the general population.

The research included experts from the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia, who looked through the genetic code of tens of thousands of women, searching for single-letter differences found among women with cancer but absent among women who were otherwise healthy. The researchers based their work on prior research that compared more than 10,200 women with ovarian cancer to 13,185 women who did not suffer from the disease.

Prior to this study, scientist already knew that BRCA1 gene mutations substantially increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. This new meditate examined whether other gene mutations could change or alter that cancer risk. On average, around 65 per cent of women carrying a faulty BRCA1 gene will develop breast cancer – and around 40 per cent ovarian cancer – by the age of 70.

The research discovered that if a woman with a BRCA1 fault also carries a “risk version” of a DNA region known as 19p13, her breast cancer risk could be even increased still.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with more than a million new cases diagnosed around the world annually. Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women in developed countries, and often detected in later stages when the chances of cure are small. As a result, the disease claims more lives in the U.S. than all other gynecological cancers combined. Yearly, approximately 13,000 women in the U.S. and 130,000 worldwide die from the disease.