Familial cancer risk for breast and ovarian cancer through risk genes – Heilpraxis

When cancer is inherited through genes

Between five and ten percent of all cancer cases are hereditary. This increases the risk of certain types of cancer in some families. The individual risk can be determined via the genes – provided that the risk genes are known. A German research team is currently investigating which genes increase the risk of breast cancer.

The German Cancer Aid is funding a Germany-wide research association with around 1.3 million euros in which cancer researchers have come together to close gaps in knowledge about hereditary cancer. The research also focuses on the determination of other risk genes.

Many cancer risk genes are still unknown

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two risk genes that are known to increase the likelihood of causing hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. According to the research team, however, there are a large number of other and so far little researched risk genes that can also trigger cancer. Many different genes in numerous variants have been identified that are associated with an increased risk of these cancers.

“Depending on which variant of a particular gene is present, the probability of a tumor developing increases or decreases,” the researchers write. However, many of these risk genes are still largely unexplored. In particular in the case of newly discovered and so far less well investigated candidates, there are a large number of variants, the clinical effects of which are still unknown.

Why can cancer be hereditary?

According to the working group, harmful genetic changes that are passed on within the family can contribute to the development of cancer. In such high-risk families, there is often an accumulation of certain types of cancer. This is particularly evident in breast or ovarian cancer.

20 percent of all breast cancer cases could be hereditary

The risk genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are among the best-studied genes associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The proportion of cancer cases caused by these risk genes is less than five percent. However, the researchers estimate that around 20 percent of all breast and ovarian cancer cases are hereditary.

Wrong therapies due to ignorance

Not knowing whether the cancer is hereditary or not can lead to medical misinterpretations and, as a result, to measures and therapies that may not even be necessary. “The knowledge of a familial cancer risk is very stressful for many people,” explains Professor Dr. Rita Schmutzler, Director of the Center for Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer at the University Hospital Cologne. It is therefore all the more important to be able to make as precise a prediction as possible and to plan the next steps together with those affected, according to the cancer expert.

State-of-the-art technology is intended to close knowledge gaps

Using the latest IT methods, the working group around Professor Dr. Schmutzler are now building a comprehensive database of gene variants that are associated with an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The database is intended to close knowledge gaps in genetic analyzes, in the classification of risk gene variants and in the clinical interpretation of the results.

Special software will then analyze the gene variants and classify them according to clinical effects. In this way, doctors will in future be able to make more precise predictions about the occurrence of a hereditary tumor and the possible course of the disease.

Model concept for other hereditary forms of cancer

“With the help of these results, we would like to make a personalized risk calculation, corresponding preventive measures and targeted therapy possible for each patient,” says Schmutzler.

“With the funding of this joint project, together with the scientists involved, we are also pursuing the goal of developing a model concept that could also be established for other types of cancer,” adds Gerd Nettekoven, chairman of the board of the German Cancer Aid. It is therefore an “important scientific pioneering work for the medical care of tomorrow”. (vb)