Ten years back, researchers had found two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2 that caused the hereditary forms of breast cancer. Any of these genes puts women at three to seven times the risk of developing breast cancer than the women with no such genes. These genes are accounted for fifteen per cent of the cases.
Now, Researchers led by Dr. Kari Stefansson and colleagues at deCode genetics Inc. in Reykjavik, Iceland have found a new gene i.e. BARD1 which causes several hereditary form of breast cancer. Moreover, women with BARD1 and BRCA2 combined mutation are at certain risk of breast cancer. The online science journal PLoS Medicine has published the report.
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