Markers predict breast cancer

DOCTORS will be able to better predict the risk of breast cancer for those from families with high instances of the disease, thanks to new research.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have discovered non-genetic markers for breast cancer susceptibility that would be missed in current testing but still passed down through families.

The known breast cancer genetic markers BRCA1 and BRCA2 are only identified in about 20 per cent of women who are offered genetic testing for familial breast cancer.

The breakthrough could make a major difference in monitoring for families with a history of the deadly disease and potentially lead to increases in early diagnosis.

The study has found 24 previously unknown epigenetic (heritable) changes in gene function that can alter the risk of developing breast cancer. These changes can be passed down family lines for generations without involving changes in DNA.

Professor Melissa Southey, from the department of clinical pathology at the University of Melbourne and chair of precision medicine at Monash University, led the study, which looked at 210 people from multiple-case breast cancer families.

“For the majority of women who undergo genetic testing, there is no explanation for their breast cancer predisposition,” she said

University of Melbourne and Monash University research fellow Dr Eric Joo said the discovery would make an incredible difference to those who came from families with high instances of breast cancer.

“Some individuals know they come from a family with a lot of breast cancer but do not have a mutation in a known breast cancer gene,” he said.

“This study should help answer why some of those families have a lot of cancer.”