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Written By: Admin | Published : September 25, 2012 7:57 AM IST
Scientists claim to have isolated the gene which increases the risk of male breast cancer by 50 per cent. In a study which had over 800 male breast cancer patients, they found that one particular gene played a major role in the disease. "This study represents a leap forward in our understanding of male breast cancer," said researcher Dr Nick Orr, group leader at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
Changes in the RAD51B gene which is involved in the repair of damaged DNA raises a man's breast cancer risk by 50 per cent and the gene plays a part on breast cancer in women as well. "For people who are already at high risk of breast cancer, for example men who have mutations in the BRCA2 gene, having this extra information could really help our ability to predict whether they are going to get the disease or not," Orr said in a statement. Male breast cancer is comparatively rare.
Previous studies have uncovered that faulty BRCA2 genes are involved in around 10 per cent of male breast cancer cases but they have now established that faulty RAD51B genes, which have also been found to increase the risk of breast cancer in women, also play a role in the disease in men.
The research published in Nature Genetics will help doctors predict whether men are more at risk of developing breast cancer.
