Salute e Benessere
Discovery of cancer risk associations for six novel genes
In this study, the scientists analysed three large genetic datasets from individuals of European descent, including 130,991 cancer patients and 733,486 controls. Through a gene-based burden association analysis across 22 different cancer types, they found four novel genes associated with a risk of developing cancer; the pro-apoptotic for prostate cancer, the autophagy involved for colorectal cancer, for thyroid cancer, and for both lung cancer and cutaneous melanoma. The relative increase in cancer risk conferred by these variants was substantial (90-295%), but it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow accurate assessment of absolute lifetime cancer risk.
Additionally, the researchers found the first genes with rare variants that are associated with a decreased risk of cancer. Specifically, loss of was found to protect against any cancer type, and loss of was associated with 53% lower risk of breast cancer. This suggests that inhibition of may be a therapeutic option for breast cancer.
The study revealed new insight into the biological mechanisms involved in cancer predisposition that will hopefully lead to better screening and treatment strategies.
Video -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2541696/deCODE_Genetics.mp4
View original content: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/discovery-of-cancer-risk-associations-for-six-novel-genes-302288436.html