Epigenetics will detect breast cancer years before the onset of the disease

Scientists have discovered changes in genes that predict breast cancer

RIA NewsA blood test showing changes in a specific gene can predict the risk of breast cancer in women several years before the disease begins to develop, the website of the British non–profit organization Brest cancer campaign (Breast cancer risk can be seen years before it develops - VM) reports, citing a publication in the journal Cancer Research (Brennan et al al., Intragenic ATM Methylation in Peripheral Blood DNA as a Biomarker of Breast Cancer Risk – VM).

British scientists analyzed blood samples from 640 patients with breast cancer and 741 women who do not have this disease. The tests in the first group of women were collected about three years before they were diagnosed with cancer.

The aim of the scientists was to find out whether changes in one gene as a result of the methylation process (chemical modification of the gene) can predict the risk of breast cancer in women.

The researchers found that women with the highest level of the methylation process in one region of the gene, called ATM, were twice as likely to develop cancer than those with low levels of methylation.

Methylation is a critical chemical process in DNA. Its high levels indicate any problems.

This result of the study was demonstrated in particular with the help of blood samples of women under the age of 60.

According to Dr. James Flanagan, a researcher at the Department of Surgical Oncology at Imperial College London, the uniqueness of the study lies in the fact that blood samples were taken from healthy women, so it is impossible to associate changes in this gene with the course of the disease or anti-cancer drugs.

The discovery suggests that the observation of changes in a particular gene can be used to predict the likelihood of breast cancer in a woman from a blood test, scientists say.

"We know that different combinations of genes contribute to the personal risk of developing diseases. But now we can also state that epigenetic variations, the difference in gene modification, also play a role," says Flanagan.

"We hope that this study is just the beginning of our understanding of the contribution of the epigenetic component to the development of breast cancer, and in the coming years we expect to find many more examples of the influence of genes on personal risks," he added.

According to the scientist, the difficult task that researchers are already facing is how to use the data obtained in computer models to calculate the risks of ordinary people.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru05.05.2012