British researchers have uncovered another gene that appears to significantly raise the risk of breast cancer among some women.
Their study shows women with a faulty version of the CHEK2 gene are more likely to develop the disease when compared to non-carriers. Julian Peto, from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues tested 469 patients with bilateral breast cancer for the CHEK2 gene.
AN analysis of the data revealed, first-degree relatives of these women had nearly a 60 percent cumulative risk of developing breast cancer by age 80. Compared to about a 24 percent chance for relatives of women with a normal version of the gene and breast cancer in both breasts, and about an 8 percent risk for women in the general population.
The authors note about 2 percent of women with breast cancer in both breasts will test positive for the faulty version of the CHEK2 gene. They believe testing women with a family history of breast cancer for the gene might help doctors better predict who will eventually develop the disease.
They also believe women with breast cancer in both breast and their families may be good candidates for the identification of other genes associated with the disease.
SOURCE: The Lancet, 2005;366:1554-1557