Recent research has revealed that approximately one in ten people carry a gene variation that increases their risk of developing cancer by at least 25%. Dr Virginia Kaklamani of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and colleagues found that a gene that controls a protein called transforming growth factor beta receptor 1-6A (TGFBR1-6A) appears to play a major role in cancer risk. TGFBR1-6A inhibits the growth of normal cells. However, if a cell becomes cancerous TGFBR1-6A seems to make the cell even more malignant by accelerating its growth. The researchers found that TGFBR1-6A raises the risk of breast and ovarian cancer by 50%, and the risk of colon cancer by 38%. However, this risk is doubled in people who have inherited two copies of the gene.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 28th August 2003.
