Women with a specific gene mutation have a higher risk of dying from a type of breast cancer, a study has found, which has raised the prospect of targeted drugs. According to an [s]IoL[/s] report, scientists have linked a variant in CCL20 – a gene involved in immune response – to a higher risk of death for women who have undergone chemotherapy for so-called oestrogen receptor negative (ER-) cancer. The team used data from numerous studies involving more than 2,600 women in different countries.
And, the report says, in a separate breast cancer study, researchers from [b]Norway[/b] and the [b]US[/b] found that mammograms carried out once every two years may reduce death risk only by about 28%. The report says the finding adds to the ongoing debate about the value of such scans versus the dangers of over-diagnosis.
[link url=http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/cancer-study-raises-hope-of-targeted-drugs-1.1705801]Full IoL report[/link]
[link url=http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140617/ncomms5051/full/ncomms5051.html]Nature Communications abstract[/link]
[link url=http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3701]British Medical Journal abstract[/link]