Genes can forewarn of cancers years in advance

CANCER could be detected in genes up to 35 years before diagnosis, scientists have found after a study into the genetics of disease.

British researchers, working alongside a global team, looked at 47million genetic changes in more than 2,500 tumours from 38 cancer types.

By analysing the rate of mutations in tumours over time, they were able to turn the clock back, and spot the critical moment when the genetic code changed significantly, signalling that cancer was on the way

The technique allows the roots of disease to be picked up decades earlier. For example, ovarian cancer can be seen up to 35 years before a woman would be diagnosed, while kidney, bladder, pancreatic and skin cancers could be seen nearly 20 years earlier.

The discovery could pave the way for a test that would spot the disease much earlier, when treatment or lifestyle changes would be more effective.

At present scientists are not sure that the mutations will always lead to cancer, but Clemency Jolly, a researcher at the Francis Crick Institute in London, told The Telegraph: “One day it may be possible to detect these mutations, say for example, with a blood test.”

 British women could be less likely to check for signs of cancer because of dissatisfaction with their breasts.

An international survey has found women in the UK are among the most unhappy in the world about the size of their breasts. It shows that 56 per cent wish theirs were bigger, 19 per cent wish they were smaller and just 25 per cent are content. Prof Viren Swami, of Anglia Ruskin University, said: “Our study found a direct link between greater breast size dissatisfaction and poorer breast awareness.”