A common gene mutation found in one out of six women carries a 60% increased risk of breast cancer, a large new analysis reveals.
Researchers surveyed DNA samples from nearly 50,000 women – half of whom had breast cancer – looking for genes that may incur only small increases in breast cancer risk, but which are carried by a large proportion of the population.
They say that the newly identified gene variant – in the gene called fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) – is the most important genetic risk factor for breast cancer identified in about a decade, due to its widespread prevalence.
Full article here: http://www.newscientisttech.com/article.ns?id=dn11946&feedId=online-news_rss20
