According to a recent article in the Daily Mail, researchers in Belfast believe they have come up with an non-invasive alternative to reducing the risk of cancer for women who carry the BRCA1 mutation. It is thought that around one woman in every 1,000 carries this mutation (Daily Mail, March 14), meaning a 60-90% lifetime risk of breast cancer and 40-60% risk of ovarian cancer (NHS, March 14). Currently, the only way of reducing this risk is to undergo surgery in order to remove the tissue of the breasts and ovaries, however new research undertaken at Queen's University in Belfast is stating that anti-oestrogen drug treatments could also be used to reduce these increased cancer risks.
Studies have now revealed that there is a direct link between high levels of oestrogen and DNA damage, the cause of cancer in the ovaries and breasts. Furthermore, they have also discovered that the cells of the women with this gene mutation are also unable to fight the high levels of this hormone that resides in the breasts and ovaries, leaving them particularly vulnerable to DNA damage and the development of cancerous tumours.
According to the NHS so many women turn to risk reducing surgery because it is believed that they are very unlikely to be able to reduce their risk to below that of 50% (Evans, NHS, March 2012) which leaves them faced only with major life changing surgery. Though still in its early stages, Dr Kienan Savage, who is leading this research, stated: ‘this discovery is very significant in the management of women with the BRCA1 gene mutation.' (Daily Mail, March 14).
Sources:
www.dailymail.co.uk
www.nhs.uk
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