HEALTH NEWS
Two new studies, published in the journal Nature, have given scientists a deeper insight into genetic susceptibility to breast cancer. The two studies looked at data on 275,000 women, and were carried out by researchers from several international institutions, including the University of Cambridge in the UK and the University of Washington School of Public Health in the US. In the larger study, researchers looked at small variations in DNA, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), some of which are more common in people who have a specific condition (such as breast cancer). Researchers identified SNPs in 65 new regions of DNA associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. They also found 700 genes that could be responsible for the links. The second, smaller, study identified a further seven variations associated with an increased risk of oestrogenreceptor negative breast cancer – a type of breast cancer that is hard to treat. Researchers said the results “will improve the use of genetic risk scores for individualised screening and prevention.”