ATM Gene Linked To Increased Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Friday, December 30, 2011 - 10:50 in Health & Medicine

A study in Cancer Discovery says mutations in the ATM gene may increase the hereditary risk for pancreatic cancer.Pancreatic cancer is one of the most morbid cancers, with less than 5 percent of those diagnosed with the disease surviving to five years. Approximately 10 percent of patients come from families with multiple cases of pancreatic cancer.Using next-generation sequencing, including whole genome and whole exome analyses, they identified ATM gene mutations in two kindreds with familial pancreatic cancer. When those initial findings were examined in a large series for patients, ATM mutations were present in four of 166 subjects with pancreatic cancer but were absent in 190 spousal control subsets.  read more

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