U. study links gene to ovarian cancer

A recent study by the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center may lead to earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer in American women -- the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The study, headed by Gynecological Oncology Research Laboratory Director Jeff Boyd, links hereditary ovarian cancer with the breast cancer gene BRCA1. This breakthrough means that for the first time, a genetic test for a defect in the BRCA1 gene can also indicate a woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer. The study's findings were published in the July 15 issue of Cancer Research. According to Boyd, hereditary ovarian cancer is highly treatable if it is detected in its early stages. Testing for BRCA1, offered at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, creates the possibility for "more intense monitoring" of the cancer or preventative surgery, Boyd said. He added that HUP offers a unique testing environment that includes counseling and education. "We believe strongly that general counseling and education are absolutely necessary to undergo testing for BRCA1," Boyd said. Women diagnosed with the mutation have to consider whether to ignore the test results, continue intensive screening or undergo preventative surgery that often means the removal of their breasts or ovaries. The complicated testing process can take one to two months, and is not 100 percent foolproof. Finding a mutation is conclusive, but Boyd said "a negative result is much less meaningful," due to the possibility for human error. A woman with a mutation of the BRCA1 gene has a 90 percent chance of developing either breast or ovarian cancer by age 90. "All cancers are the result of genetic mutations," Boyd said. Medical Center spokesperson Harriet Levy estimated that the BRCA1 gene is responsible for about 90 percent of all hereditary cases of ovarian cancers. The remaining "small percentage" of hereditary ovarian cancer cases are caused by other defective genes, Boyd said. Presently, ovarian cancer has a survival rate of 37 percent over a five year percent. The survival rate for breast cancer is significantly higher --Emore than 50 percent. Researchers at the University of Utah and the National Institute of Environmental Health and Science in North Carolina first discovered the breast cancer gene BRCA1 in October 1994. University Cancer Center researchers were able to link this discovery with cancer patterns found in high risk families. Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer can be inherited from either the mother or father -- despite the fact that these cancers only strike women. But men in high-risk cancer families also are at an increased risk of developing colon and prostrate cancer. Women with hereditary ovarian cancer are also likely to develop their cancer earlier that the general population. The average age for hereditary cases of breast and ovarian cancer is approximately 45. Non-hereditary cases occur at a mean age of 55 or 56.

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