Brain cancer gene findings
Monday August 1st, 2011
British researchers have found a genetic cause of a common brain cancer, it was announced last night.
The gene is linked to meningioma, which is responsible for about a quarter of the 4,500 brain cancers diagnosed in Britain annually.
Scientists say the genetic region that has been discovered is closely linked with two genes involved the development of leukaemia - AF10 and MLLT10.
Researcher Professor Richard Houlston said: "We can’t say at this stage whether the diseases are linked or even if the two genetic regions interact, but we’ll be looking at this in our follow up studies."
The finding, reported in Nature Genetics, came from comparing some 1,644 meningioma patients with 2,464 healthy people.
Professor Houlston, of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: "We knew that people with certain rare inherited diseases are more likely to develop meningiomas.
"Although these inherited diseases significantly increase the chance of getting this type of brain cancer, they are so rare that they account for a very small proportion of the increased risk among relatives of people with meningiomas.
"Our study begins to shed light on the biggest part of the inherited risk. "
Common variation at 10p12.31 near MLLT10 influences meningioma. Dobbins et al. Nature Genetics. 31 July 2011. DOI 10.1038/ng.879.
Tags: Brain & Neurology | Cancer | Genetics | UK News
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