LONDON (Agence de Presse Medicale for Reuters Health) - A computer programme that can predict genetic susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer with unprecedented accuracy has been developed, British researchers report in the British Journal of Cancer.
The new test improves on previous programmes because it takes into account genetic mutations besides those of the well-known BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
“BRCA1 and BRCA2 together account for under 20% of breast cancer clusters in families, so...it is vital to take other mutations into account,” said Professor Doug Easton, of the Cancer Research UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge.
The team has just finished testing the programme’s accuracy by using it to predict high genetic risk of breast cancer in women with a family history of the disease. “We have confirmed that it is more accurate than any such programme created in the past,” Professor Easton added in a statement.
The programme is based on genetic data for 1484 women with breast cancer and 156 families with multiple breast and ovarian cancer cases. It was developed so that genetic testing, which is expensive, can be targeted at high-risk women, sparing others the anxiety of waiting for test results.
The team plans to make the programme more user friendly and then make it available on the Internet to oncologists and geneticists for testing in several thousand women visiting UK cancer genetics clinics.
The model is based on data from a UK population, so must be adjusted for use in other populations because of the varying incidence of BRCA gene mutations.
Source: Brit J Can 2004;91. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Community Health Services: Data Collection: Diagnosis: Diagnostic Services: Environment and Public Health: Epidemiologic Methods: Health Care Facilities, Manpower, and Services: Genetic Screening: Health: Health Occupations: Health Services: Health Services Administration: Health Surveys: Information Science: Mass Screening: Medicine: Investigative Techniques: Population Characteristics: Preventive Health Services: Preventive Medicine: Public Health: Quality of Health Care: Specialties, Medical: Public Health Practice: Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation: Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms: Genes, BRCA1: Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures: Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment: Biological Sciences: Health Care: Information ScienceCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
