Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
01 October 2015 09:23
The early diagnosis of breast cancer is vital
Genetic mutations which are only usually seen in breast cancers that return after treatment have been identified by researchers.
It is now hoped the scientists' findings could pave the way for the development of a test to identify patients who are likely to experience a relapse.
Being able to identify such cancers when patients get their first diagnosis would enable medics to give those who are most at risk of a relapse tailor-made treatments.
Relapses
Around a fifth of all breast cancer patients suffer a relapse after their treatment, with tumours either reappearing in the same place as the original one or in a different part of the body.
Those who do suffer a relapse can still be given the peace of mind they want on their travels by taking out a cancer travel insurance policy.
In-depth research
The researchers looked at 1,000 tumour samples, 161 of which were taken from patients with recurring or spreading cancers.
The team then compared the DNA from relapsed cancers with that found in samples taken when the disease was first diagnosed.
Dr Lucy Yates, of the Cambridgeshire-based Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, says the research team found that some genetic variations which cause breast cancers to return are fairly rare - at the point of diagnosis - among ones that do not relapse.
The genetic differences, she says, could be used to predict how predisposed a cancer is to return, adding that some of the variations could be targeted by drugs.
Professor Peter Naredi, scientific co-chairman of the 2015 European Cancer Congress, says such findings are vital as they will help doctors improve the combination of treatments that are given and enable them to be tailored to each patient.
He adds that the study highlights the importance of treating a returning cancer as a fresh event and selecting the correct therapy to target it with.
25 April 2018
Hospitals are failing to notice that more than a third of dementia patients suffer from the condition, a new study has found.
[more...]
21 April 2018
Heart attack patients should be prescribed exercise to reduce their risk of death, researchers suggest.
19 April 2018
A self-injected smart drug may be the key to easing and preventing pain for migraine sufferers.
17 April 2018
Simple brain-training exercises carried out at home have been shown to reduce emotional stress in female breast cancer survivors, it's recently been revealed.
13 April 2018
Drinkers who consume more alcohol than UK guidelines suggest could be cutting years off their lives, according to new research.
12 April 2018
A recent study has revealed that people who sustain brain injuries are at an increased risk of developing dementia later in life.
11 April 2018
Scientists have announced their latest breakthrough in the battle against Alzheimer's disease, after neutralising a high-risk gene in a human brain cell for the first time.
07 April 2018
The Philippines is set to shut its most famous holiday island of Boracay for six months, after the President described it as a "cesspool".
05 April 2018
Taxes on soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco - nicknamed "sin taxes" - could be a powerful step towards combating rising rates of chronic diseases worldwide, research has suggested.
New "one-stop shops" to speed up cancer diagnosis are being trialled across the country for the first time.
30 March 2018
Doctors should tell patients that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking but not without risk, according to new national guidance.
29 March 2018
Young people suffering from mental health problems are finding it hard to get the support they need, a survey has revealed.