Source: The Mercury, Friday, March 18, 1994, p.17
Source: The Mercury, Friday, March 18, 1994, p.17
Washington
RESEARCHERS have identi-
fied a second gene implicated in
a hereditary form of colon can-
cer, spurring hopes of a screen-
ing test within a year.
Hereditary nonpolyposis col-
on cancer also causes ovarian
and uterine cancers.
"If you catch the cancer early
enough, it's curable," said Ken-
neth Kinzler, of the Johns Hop-
kins Oncology Centre.
Those with the defective
genes had up to a 90-per-cent
chance of developing colon can-
cer, Kinzler said.
Women have an additional 30-
per-cent chance of developing
ovarian or uterine cancer.
Richard Kolodner, of Har-
vard's Dana-Farber Cancer
Centre, said the two genes might
be implicated in cancers which
were not inherited.
"In some people with spor-
adic cancer [no history of this
cancer in their families] their
tumour has an alteration in one
of these genes," he said.
Studies by teams headed by
Kolodner and Kinzler were
published in the Journals
Science and Nature.
Reuter
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Index - Chance and Basic Probability