TAIPEI: An international research consortium, which includes a team from Taiwan, has identified genomic sites that may harbor breast cancer genes - findings that are expected to contribute to breast cancer prevention and treatment, academic sources said yesterday.

"Under the umbrella of the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), more than 100 scholars from the United States, Europe and Asia took part in the research that led to the discovery of multiple genomic sites that may harbor breast cancer genes on chromosomes 2, 3 and 17, " according to a press statement released by Academia Sinica - Taiwan's foremost research institute.

"The findings are a major milestone in cancer research," the statement said, adding that the study will be published in three prestigious scientific journals - Nature Genetics, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and Human Molecular Genetics.

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women and its risk factors suggest that hormones are involved in the development of the disease. Early onset of menstrual periods, late menopause, and having no history of pregnancy have been shown to increase the risk of developing breast cancer significantly.

However, only half the women who develop the disease fit the currently recognized at-risk groups. That fact prompted scientists to search for genes that may give them a better understanding of this type of cancer.

According to the Academia Sinica statement, the research consortium used a cutting-edge gene discovery tool - the genome-wide scan (GWS) - to identify diseased genes.

"The discovery of multiple genomic sites that may harbor breast cancer genes on chromosomes 2, 3 and 17 could result in new anti-cancer drugs and new preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic approaches," the statement continued.

It emphasized that the findings of the GWS-based study clearly suggest that many factors are involved in the development of breast cancer and that both genetic and environmental factors play roles.

The GWS approach provides a unique opportunity for comprehensive evaluation of individual genes and may result in significant improvements in the efficacy of population-based programs for the prevention of breast cancer, it said.

This technique may also be applied to other common types of cancer and provide clues to the development of common chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, the statement added.

The Taiwan team, formally known as the Taiwan Breast Cancer Study (TWBCS), was invited to join the ambitious international research project in 2006, according to the statement.

The TWBCS is composed of surgeons, academics and a group of local breast cancer patients, the statement said.

Key Taiwan researchers included Yu Jyh-cherng and Hsu Giu-cheng from Tri-Service General Hospital, Huang Chiun-sheng from National Taiwan University Hospital, and Shen Chen-yang, a research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of Biomedical Sciences.

Noting that the research findings emphasize the importance of local and international cooperation, Shen said the cooperative project has also contributed to long-term bio-banking of human specimens in modern medical research, which gives access to an adequate sample of study subjects.

"An sizeable sample is necessary to obtain consistent research results, through which further developments in cancer prevention and treatment can be achieved," Shen explained.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 07/31/2009 page2)