Carriers of 2 rare gene mutations at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancers, Hong Kong research finds
- Research involving 4,900 breast and ovarian cancer patients helps experts identify two rare gene mutations
- ‘Genetic tests allow you … to measure risk of getting cancer, and arrange screening, check-ups, or even surgery,’ professor says
Two rare gene mutations identified among 4,900 breast and ovarian cancer patients and their family members will put carriers at higher risk of the disease, Hong Kong researchers have found.
For the research, jointly led by the HKSH Medical Group, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry, genetic tests have been carried out on breast and ovarian cancer patients and people at risk since 2007.
“The latest technology allows us to look for more genes causing cancers,” Ava Kwong Hoi-wai, clinical professor of the HKU surgery department, said on Wednesday.
“We hope people with a higher risk of getting cancer, for example, those with a strong family history, can proactively seek a genetic test by getting a doctor’s referral or asking the registry, but I do not recommend buying testing kits on your own, because they may not have validations.”
Breast and ovarian tumours accounted for more than a third of newly diagnosed cancer cases among Hong Kong women in 2020 and caused the death of more than 1,000 that year.
About 10 to 15 per cent of breast and 15 to 25 per cent of ovarian cancer cases were hereditary, with the disease manifesting itself in multiple generations of a family, exhibiting earlier onset, and frequently involving multiple types.