‘Bowel cancer gene’ identified

Humans with a gene heightening the risk of prostate cancer in men also have a greater chance of developing bowel cancer, research published today shows.

Scientists based in Edinburgh and London say around one in ten bowel cancer sufferers have the gene, in a region called 8q24, which increases the risk of prostate cancer from around one in 20 to one in 16.

Publishing their research in the Nature Genetics journal today, the researchers say the ‘low risk’ gene variant must be pieced together with others in order to work out what causes the disease to develop.

“Understanding all the genes involved is a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle in the dark,” Professor Malcolm Dunlop of the University of Edinburgh explained.

“First we have to feel around for the genes involved and only then will we be able to find out how they all fit together to contribute to increased risk.

Cancer Research UK’s Professor Ian Tomlinson said he hoped the search for genes linked to bowel cancer would eventually enable tailored treatments to prevent cancer developing.

“This is an important first step but we still have a long way to go before we have a complete picture of all the genes that are involved in inherited bowel cancer risk,” he said.

“Eventually it may be possible for scientists to design treatments to prevent people at increased risk of the disease from developing bowel cancer altogether.”