Link between breast cancer and ATM gene is strong

BMJ 1999;318:400 ( 6 February )

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Link between breast cancer and ATM gene is strong

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EDITOR $---$ We welcome Lavin's recognition of the important role that the ataxia-telangiectasia (ATM) gene plays in breast cancerdespite the attention given to two other genes, BRCA1/BRCA2, whichare numerically less important.¹ It is important to emphasisethat the evidence linking the ataxia-telangiectasia gene to breastcancer is more than suggestive. As well as the two smaller studiesreferenced by Lavin, two large epidemiological studies have clearlyindicated the increased risk of breast cancer among blood relativesof patients with ataxia-telengiectasia. ² ³

In 1996 a study using genotyping technology and the statistically powerful unbiased index test method for testing gene-diseaseassociations provided compelling evidence that carriers of theataxia-telangiectasia gene have a 3.8-fold increased risk of breastcancer compared with non-carriers.⁴ With a P value of 0.0001,it is unlikely that this result arose by chance. More preciseestimates of the magnitude of this risk will become availableas more breast . . . [Full text of this article]

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Role of the ataxia-telangiectasia gene (ATM) in breast cancer: Martin Lavin
BMJ 1998 317: 486-487. [Extract] [Full Text]

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