Scientists discover new genetic variants linked to bowel cancer

Scientists discover new genetic variants linked to bowel cancer
16. November 2010 01:17

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have discovered four new genetic variants linked to bowel cancer by combining data from three major genome studies, reveals a study published in Nature Genetics.

Pooling the data in this way created the largest study of its kind, involving over 45,000 volunteers with and without bowel cancer, allowing previously undetected genetic sites to be pinpointed.

The Cancer Research UK funded research group* is behind all fourteen of the gene variants that have so far been linked to bowel cancer - identified as the result of ten years of investigations.

Professor Richard Houlston, one of three senior authors on the study and head of The Institute of Cancer Research's (ICR) Molecular and Population Genetics Team, said: "Our study identifies four completely new genetic variants that can influence a person's risk of developing bowel cancer, suggesting that even more variants linked to bowel cancer are yet to be discovered.

"Although each of these variants has only a small impact on a person's risk of developing the disease, there is now genuine hope that as we discover more pieces of the jigsaw we can start to identify those who are at highest risk, helping to better target measures to prevent the cancer, or detect it earlier to maximise the chance of treatment being successful."

full-text:
Scientists discover new genetic variants linked to bowel cancer