U. aides in genetic discovery

University researchers have helped scientists isolate one of the genes that causes breast cancer, according to Barbara Weber, director of the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Program at the University. Last week, a research team at the University of Utah identified the gene believed to be responsible for five percent of all cases of breast cancer. The research team in Utah isolated the gene in part because of research done at the University over the past 14 years, Weber said. "We contributed a fair amount in terms of family genetic information and genetic mapping information in the [chromosomal] region, which we have published over the last couple of years," Weber said. Earlier this year, Mary-Clare King, a geneticist at the University of California, identified a portion of a chromosome which appeared to be abnormal in families with an extensive history of breast cancer. Researchers on campus then took that crucial information to the next step, Weber said. "We took that information and went forward from there to do some of the groundwork that hopefully eventually led to the cloning of this gene," she said. Cathy Calzone, a genetic oncologist nurse at the University's Cancer Center, said the team continued to narrow down the region on the chromosome in which they knew the gene existed. In its normal state, the gene might actually prevent breast cancer. But women who inherit it in an altered form will have a very high risk of developing the disease, Weber said. "If you do inherit a mutation in this gene from your parents, your risk of getting breast cancer is 80 percent in your lifetime," she added. One in 200 women may carry this defective gene, Weber said. In addition to studying the genetic link to breast cancer, the University has also addressed the clinical side of the disease. In fact, the Cancer Center was the first institution ever to counsel families with a history of breast cancer. "There are many families who have a lot of history of breast cancer," Calzone said. "It would be to their benefit to know whether or not the cancer in the family is associated with the gene. "It certainly will lead to our ability to understand breast cancer better and lead to new treatments and therapies," she added. The center has a multi-disciplinary program for women already diagnosed with the disease, but it also offers a new program concentrating on breast cancer risk assessment. The program is open to any woman concerned about her breast cancer risk or interested in finding out more about inherited forms of the disease. Weber, who oversees the clinical program, said that the gene needs to be studied further in order to determine the role it plays in causing the disease. Calzone said researchers now will attempt to develop a method of screening women to find out if they have that particular gene. "We only knew a short time ago what two points it was located between," she said. "Now we know exactly where it is."