Researchers: Breast cancer gene markers show increased risk of disease Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/05/10/2010-05-10

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/05/10/2010-05-10_researchers_breast_cancer_gene_markers_show_increased_risk_of_disease.html

• Researchers at Oxford University have identified five common genetic variants that are linked to a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.
• The five "spots" bring to 18 the number of genetic clues that link to a slightly higher risk of the disease, which according to the National Cancer Institute kills more than 40,000 women in the United States each year.
• "We know for sure that these gene variations are associated with risk," University of Cambridge's Dr. Douglas Easton, the study's lead author, told the BBC. "It is not the whole picture but it will contribute ultimately to genetic profiling of risk."
• While the exact causes of breast cancer are still not known, it's believed that one in twenty cases may be linked to family history. Having a grandmother who developed breast cancer in her 80s is not as worrisome as having a mother and sisters who got breast cancer before menopause, Josephs says.

Reflection

When I read this article, I was thrilled when I found out that researchers are even closer to finding and possibly curing breast cancer. Breast cancer has taken so many lives in the United States and around the world, it was finally relaxing to realize that there are people trying to fix this universal problem.

Black, Rosemary. "Researchers: Breast Cancer Gene Markers Show Increased Risk of Disease Read More: Http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/05/10/2010-05-10_researchers_breast_cancer_gene_markers_show_increased_risk_of_disease.html#ixzz0nosvn3pb."Nydailynews.com. 10 May 10. Web. 13 May 10.