Key gene in breast cancer development identified

Researchers at King's College London have identified a gene involved in the development of breast cancer, which could lead to the earlier detection and treatment of the disease. A new study, in collaboration with Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), has found that gene changes occur up to five years before the detection of breast cancer, paving the way for treatments aimed specifically at reversing changes in susceptible genes before cancer occurs. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK with around 50,000 people diagnosed each year. Published today in Carcinogenesis , the study was based on a group of 36 identical twin pairs from TwinsUK, based at King's, the biggest adult twin registry in the UK, where one twin had developed breast cancer and the other had not. Comparing DNA samples from each twin, collected before and after the diagnosis of breast cancer, as well as samples from breast tumours and breast cancer cell lines, the research team found significant chemical changes in around 400 sites in the affected twin. Of these, scientists identified the DOK7 gene was identified as most likely to be directly involved in the development of breast cancer. On average, these chemical changes took place five years prior to the diagnosis of breast cancer.