(Press-News.org) New research aimed to better identify the genetic factors that lead to breast cancer has uncovered a link between the fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) and a higher incidence of breast cancer. According to the study conducted at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, people who possess a variant of the FTO gene have up to a 30 percent greater chance of developing breast cancer. Research to identify why the link exists is ongoing, but experts say the finding takes us one step closer to personalized medicine based on genetic risk which would allow for better monitoring and prevention of illness, as well as targeted treatment.
"This is a fascinating early finding, which fits with the known connections between obesity and breast cancer," said Virginia Kaklamani, MD, oncologist at Northwestern Memorial, co-director of the Cancer Genetics Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and lead author of the study.
Each individual carries the FTO gene, but only 18 percent have this variant of the gene. Kaklamani, who specializes in cancer genetics, says testing for the FTO variant is not available currently, but it may be available in the future, similar to how genetic testing for the BRCA gene mutation exists today.
"Ten years ago we didn't know about the BRCA gene mutation which has been linked to breast and ovarian cancer. Today, we offer genetic testing and a specialized clinic for those at risk in order to minimize their risk and detect any indication of cancer early," said Kaklamani, who is also an associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "This knowledge helps us better identify who is at an increased risk so one day, we can counter that risk through preventative measures and advanced screening."
The research, published in BMC Medical Genetics is part of an ongoing group of studies to further knowledge of genetic risk factors for breast cancer.
###
For more information about the study, visit http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2350/12/52.
To learn more about the cancer genetics program at Northwestern visit http://www.cancer.northwestern.edu/public/learn/early_detection/programs/genetics.cfm or call 312-926-0779.
About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare is the parent corporation of Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, an 854-bed academic medical center hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, a 205-bed community hospital located in Lake Forest, Illinois.
About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial is one of the country's premier academic medical center hospitals and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital comprises 854 beds, 1,603 affiliated physicians and 7,144 employees. Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.
Northwestern Memorial possesses nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence. It is also listed in 12 clinical specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 "America's Best Hospitals" guide and ranks No. 1 in Chicago in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals metro area rankings. For 10 years running, Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 11 years.
Researchers discover link between obesity gene and breast cancer
Variant of obesity gene may increase breast cancer risk by 30 percent
2011-05-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Tort reform reduces lawsuit risk; establishes framework for quality improvements
2011-05-24
It is well known that rising medical malpractice premiums have reached a crisis point in many areas of the United States, and the economic and emotional costs of these claims are driving physicians and surgeons away from high-risk specialties. However, according to the authors of a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, implementation of comprehensive tort reform has been associated with a nearly 80 percent decrease in the prevalence of surgical malpractice lawsuits at one academic medical center. This decrease in lawsuits ...
Transarterial embolization is a safe, nonoperative option for acute peptic ulcer bleeding
2011-05-24
OAK BROOK, Ill. – May 23, 2011 – Researchers from China report that in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding in whom endoscopy failed to control the bleeding, transarterial embolization is a safe procedure which reduces the need for surgery without increasing overall mortality and is associated with few complications. The study appears in the May issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).
A peptic ulcer is an erosion in the lining of the stomach or the first part of ...
More focus needed on mental health triage in disaster preparedness, Johns Hopkins bioethicists urge
2011-05-24
Johns Hopkins University bioethicists say disaster-response planning has generally overlooked the special needs of people who suffer from pre-existing and serious mental conditions. Survivors already diagnosed with schizophrenia, dementia, addictions and bipolar disorder are vulnerable long before a disaster strikes, they point out.
In a commentary appearing in the June issue of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism, faculty from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics say that more attention should be devoted to triaging and managing those already identified ...
Discovery of canine hepatitis C virus opens up new doors for research on deadly human pathogen
2011-05-24
In a study to be published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report the discovery of a novel hepatitis C-like virus in dogs. The identification and characterization of this virus gives scientists new insights into how hepatitis C in humans may have evolved and provides scientists renewed hope to develop a model system to study how it causes disease.
The research was conducted at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the University of Edinburgh, the Center ...
The Four Loko effect
2011-05-24
The popular, formerly caffeinated, fruity alcoholic beverage, Four Loko, has been blamed for the spike in alcohol-related hospitalizations, especially throughout college campuses.
Initially, caffeine was deemed the culprit and the Food and Drug Administration ordered all traces of caffeine to be removed from Four Loko and all other similar beverages. However, according to an upcoming evaluation in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, caffeine might not be the primary cause of the spike in hospitalizations.
"Four ...
Heart scientists discover protein that may be 1 cause of heart failure
2011-05-24
Researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre discovered a protein switch which can trigger a cascade of events leading to heart failure, pointing to a new direction for drug development.
“Our research suggests that PINK1 is an important switch that sets off a
cascade of events affecting heart cell metabolism,” says Dr. Phyllis Billia,
principal author, clinician‑scientist and heart failure specialist at the
Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. “This could be one of the inciting events in the
development of heart failure.”
The findings, published today in Proceedings ...
New resource developed to encourage undergraduate research experiences
2011-05-24
NEW YORK – College educators around the nation who are discovering the unique value of research experiences for undergraduate students now have a new tool available to them – a "program in a box" detailing exactly how such experiences can be created, used and implemented.
This resource, which is free, will be introduced tomorrow in New York City by the National Center for Women and Information Technology, as part of their annual summit conference. It will soon be available online at http://bit.ly/mAcvYe, and was supported in part by the National Science Foundation.
"Hands-on ...
Penn research overturns theory on how children learn their first words
2011-05-24
PHILADELPHIA — New research by a team of University of Pennsylvania psychologists is helping to overturn the dominant theory of how children learn their first words, suggesting that it occurs more in moments of insight than gradually through repeated exposure.
The research was conducted by postdoctoral fellow Tamara Nicol Medina and professors John Trueswell, and Lila Gleitman, all of the Department of Psychology in Penn's School of Arts and Sciences and the University's Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, and Jesse Snedeker, a professor at Harvard University.
Their ...
Information overload in drug side effect labeling
2011-05-24
INDIANAPOLIS – The lists of potential side effects that accompany prescription drugs have ballooned in size, averaging 70 reactions per drug, a number that can overwhelm physicians trying to select suitable treatments for their patients, according to a new study of drug labels.
Long lists of drug side effects—whether found in magazine advertisements or in package inserts—are a familiar sight to patients and doctors. Now researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine have quantified just how complex drug labels have become.
In ...
States should be allowed to implement key health reform law provisions early, experts say
2011-05-24
NEW YORK, May 23, 2011—More than eight of 10 leaders in health and health care policy (82%) believe states should be allowed to implement key provisions of the Affordable Care Act early with full federal support, ahead of the timeline outlined in the law. Such key provisions include expanding Medicaid eligibility to cover more low-income families and creating insurance exchanges with premium subsidies. Findings are from the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, which asked respondents about the relative authority states and the federal ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
A closer look at severe tricuspid regurgitation in AFMR patients
Watching nature scenes can reduce pain, new study shows
Scientists from IOCB Prague are on track of finding a treatment for autoimmune hair loss
Literary theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak named 2025 Holberg Prize Laureate
The relationship between gut microbiota, immunoglobulin A, and vaccine efficacy
Advancing sorghum science: drought-resilient crop for Spain's agricultural future
Round up, just below, or precise amount? Choosing the final price of a product may be just a cultural thing
Improving rehabilitation after spinal cord injury using a small compound oral drug
The long wait for bees to return to restored grasslands
For Nairobi’s informal settlements, diverse school lunches make a big difference
Why it’s good to be nostalgic – an international study suggests you may have more close friends!
New antibody reduces tumor growth in treatment-resistant breast and ovarian cancers
Violent supernovae 'triggered at least two Earth extinctions'
Over 1.2 million medical device side-effect reports not submitted within legal timeframe
An easy-to-apply gel prevents abdominal adhesions in animals in Stanford Medicine study
A path to safer, high-energy electric vehicle batteries
openRxiv launch to sustain and expand preprint sharing in life and health sciences
“Overlooked” scrub typhus may affect 1 in 10 in rural India, and be a leading cause of hospitalisations for fever
Vocal changes in birds may predict age-related disorders in people, study finds
Spotiphy integrative analysis tool turns spatial RNA sequencing into imager
Dynamic acoustics of hand clapping, elucidated
AAN, AES and EFA issue position statement on seizures and driving safety
Do brain changes remain after recovery from concussion?
Want to climb the leadership ladder? Try debate training
No countries on track to meet all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
Robotics and spinal stimulation restore movement in paralysis
China discovers terrestrial "Life oasis" from end-Permian mass extinction period
Poor sleep may fuel conspiracy beliefs, according to new research
Adolescent boys who experience violence have up to 8 times the odds of perpetrating physical and sexual intimate partner violence that same day, per South African study collecting real-time data over
Critically endangered hawksbill turtles migrate up to 1,000km from nesting to foraging grounds in the Western Caribbean, riding with and against ocean currents to congregate in popular feeding hotspot
[Press-News.org] Researchers discover link between obesity gene and breast cancerVariant of obesity gene may increase breast cancer risk by 30 percent