Brain tumor genetic risk factors ID'd

HOUSTON, July 7 (UPI) -- A U.S.- and British-led study has identified variations in five genes that raise a person's risk of developing common brain tumors called gliomas.

The scientists, led by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Britain's Institute of Cancer Research, said the findings are the first glioma risk factors of any type identified in a large study.

The researchers said the variations in each of the genes raise a person's glioma risk by 18 percent to 36 percent and the effects are independent of one another, so risk escalates with the number of genes involved. Patients with eight or more of the 14 risk variations found on the five genes have a three-fold risk of developing glioma.

"This is a ground-breaking study because it's the first time we've had a large enough sample to understand the genetic risk factors related to glioma, which opens the door to understanding a possible cause of these brain tumors," said M.D. Anderson Professor Melissa Bondy, a study co-author.

Associate Professor Sanjay Shete, another study co-author, cautioned it's too early to screen people for risk using the variations alone. He said since the disease is not solely genetic, a more comprehensive model that includes demographic, environmental and behavioral factors will be needed to identify those at risk.

The study appears in the online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.