Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
04 June 2014 08:43
Scientists say one in four smokers with the defective gene BRCA2 will develop lung cancer
New research has discovered that a quarter of smokers with the defective gene BRCA2 will suffer from lung cancer during their lives.
The mutated gene, which is found in 2% of humans, has been associated with ovarian cancer and breast cancer for some time but now scientists say those who have it are nearly twice as likely as other people to have cancer of the lungs.
Around 13% of the 10 million Brits who smoke develop the disease during their lives but the risk is 25% among those with the gene flaw, as many as 200,000 people.
The leader of the research, Professor Richard Houlston, said that for smokers with the defective gene the risks of lung cancer are huge. The academic from the Institute of Cancer Research in London said the disease kills more people in Britain than any other cancer and as many as a million people around the world every year. The best way to prevent it is not smoking but it is even more crucial for people with the BRCA2 flaw, he said.
The study of 17,000 people across Europe, some with lung cancer and some without, looked for key differences and discovered a clear link between the disease and those participants with the c.9976T alteration to the BRCA2 gene. The connection was even more evident in those suffering from the most common type of the disease, known as squamous cell lung cancer. The scientists also found a connection between squamous cell lung cancer and another gene called CHEK2. Those suffering from the disease can arrange cancer travel insurance to protect them while on holiday.
Professor Houlston and his team think the findings from the study, which have been revealed in the Nature Genetics journal, could change the way people with the BRCA2 gene and lung cancer are treated in the future.
Doctors treating cancer patients with the BRCA2 gene who have developed breast or ovarian cancer have had some success by giving them drugs known as PARP inhibitors, but it is not yet known how they affect lung cancer, which is usually a fatal condition.
23 September 2016
Theresa May is being urged to give the go-ahead for flights to resume between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh by the head of the cross-party parliamentary group on Egypt.
[more...]
22 September 2016
Budget airline Jet2.com is to open its first base in the south of England at Stansted.
21 September 2016
Smoking rates have dropped to the lowest level on record in England, new figures show, suggesting messages about the health effects of cigarettes are hitting home.
20 September 2016
Concerns have been raised over flight disruptions caused by heavy drinking among passengers.
17 September 2016
British Airways' decision to launch direct flights from London to Tehran earlier this month positions Iran as one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2017, according to experts.
16 September 2016
More than 100 flights have been cancelled as French air traffic controllers go on strike again.
15 September 2016
Two thirds of MPs would support an expansion at Heathrow.
14 September 2016
TripAdvisor is launching a new homepage, making the booking of holiday activities and tours even easier.
13 September 2016
Travellers are to be charged to use fast lanes to get through passport checks in an attempt to cut queues.
09 September 2016
People travelling to regions affected by the Zika virus outbreak should practise safe sex for at least half a year upon their return, health leaders say.
08 September 2016
British Airways is apologising to passengers for delays after an IT glitch hit check-in systems.
07 September 2016
Tiny particles that are breathed in and taken into the brain through air pollution could trigger Alzheimer's disease, research finds.