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Australian researchers have discovered a new gene linked to a raised risk of breast cancer. Australian researchers have discovered a new gene linked to a raised risk of breast cancer. The gene goes by the catchy name of CYP17. The discovery was made from three sisters, all three of whom developed breast cancer at an early age, one of them was only 38 in fact. Clearly there was something wrong in this family but the usual genetic suspects tested negative. This CYP17 gene is one of around 50 involved in how hormones like oestrogen work and various researchers had been looking for mutations associated with breast cancer risk. But not much had turned up. The findings from these sisters though suggest that people had been looking in the wrong places. They had a rare abnormality not far from where geneticists had been investigating but had missed it. This mutation might only explain a small percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40 or 45. The significance is that by changing the way researchers look for genetic mutations, hopefully they can discover more hormone-related genes that can be tested in sisters, mothers and daughters.
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