NewsRx.com
July 17, 2003
According to recent research from the United States, "Genes of the Fanconi complementation groups [Fanconi anemia (FA) genes] are suggested to be involved in homologous DNA recombination and produce FA when two allelic mutations are inherited.
"BRCA2 is an FA gene and additionally conveys an inherited risk for breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer for individuals carrying a single mutated allele [N.G. Howlett et al., Science (Wash. DC), 297: 606-609, 2002]," wrote M.S. Vanderheijden and colleagues, Johns Hopkins University, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"Here we report inherited and somatic mutations of FANCC and FANCG present in young-onset pancreatic cancer. This may imply a general involvement of Fanconi genes with an inherited risk of cancer. The known hypersensitivity of Fanconi cells to mitomycin and other therapeutic agents [M. S. Sasaki, Nature (Lond.), 257: 501-503, 1975] suggests a therapeutic utility for a more complete characterization of the DNA repair defects and their causative genetic mutations in pancreatic cancer," the researchers concluded.
Vanderheijden and colleagues published their study in Cancer Research (Fanconi anemia gene mutations in young-onset pancreatic cancer. Cancer Res, 2003;63(10):2585-2588).
For additional information, contact S.E. Kern, Johns Hopkins University, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Baltimore, MD 21231 USA.
Publisher contact information for the journal Cancer Research is: The American Association for Cancer Research, PO Box 11806, Birmingham, AL 35202 USA.
The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of DNA Research and Oncology. This article was prepared by Biotech Week editors from staff and other reports.
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