Researchers Link New Gene to Increased Breast Cancer Risk
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers say they have identified another gene that may be linked to increased risk of breast cancer.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the PALB2 gene may be linked to between five and eight times increased risk of breast cancer. Researchers say a mutation in the PALB2 gene, which is known to interact with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes previously linked to breast cancer risk, led to increased breast cancer risk among all age ranges of women, even those without family history of the disease.
The individual risk linked to the PALB2 gene did vary based on a number of factors, including age and family history. Women under 40 with the gene mutation were eight to nine times more likely to have breast cancer, while women over 60 were about five times greater than normal risk.
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