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Breast-Cancer Genes May Pose Lower Risk
Women who carry certain gene mutations linked to increased breast-cancer risk may face less danger than previously believed, researchers said.
研究人员说，那些携带某种增加乳腺癌风险的基因突变的妇女，面对的危险可能要比以前人们认为的低。
A study in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that women carrying mutations in one of two genes face a variable 40-51% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70, lower than the commonly cited 50%-80% risk. The study was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.
一个发表在本周《美国医学学会杂志》的研究认为，携带两个基因中有一个基因突变的妇女，其在70岁患乳腺癌的风险是40%到51%，比通常认为的50%到80%的风险要低。这项研究是国家癌症研究中心发起的。
The report comes amid a marketing push by Myriad Genetics Inc., a Salt Lake City company urging women with breast cancer in their family to know their risk by taking the company's test. Researchers didn't use the commercial test, but did independently test patients for mutations to BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
这项报告来自于Myriad Genetics公司的市场推介活动。该公司是盐湖城市的一个公司，它敦促家族有乳腺癌病史的妇女，通过它们公司的检测去了解她们患乳腺癌的风险。研究人员没有使用该公司的商用检测方法，而是独立地检测病人的BRCA1 和 BRCA2基因的突变情况。
A Myriad spokesman said the company is familiar with past research from Colin Begg, who led the study. But despite his current assertions, the spokesman said, \"We believe that high risk is high risk, whether 57% or 87%, and women should know in order to take the appropriate actions.\"
Myriad公司的一名发言人说，他们公司熟悉以前Colin Begg的研究情况。Colin Begg是该项研究的领导者。“尽管他的当前研究的结论有不确定性。” 发言人说，“但是我们认为毕竟这是高风险的因素，不管它是57%还是87%，妇女应该知道这一风险，并采取适当的行动。”
For the study, to be published in today's JAMA, researchers tested and interviewed about 1,400 women with cancer in one breast, and 700 women with cancer in both breasts who carried risky genes.
在该项拟在今日的《美国医学学会杂志（JAMA）》上发表的研究中，研究人员检测和访问了携带乳腺癌风险基因的女性，其中单侧乳腺癌的大约有1400例，双侧乳腺癌的大约有700例。
\"The estimate of 50% to 80% breast-cancer risk from the gene is too high,\" said Dr. Begg, chairman of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, adding that \"even 40% may be an overestimate.\" Overestimates occur because studies focus on families with known cancer, rather than sampling unaffected families -- a huge and expensive undertaking, he said.
“认为基因突变带来50%到80%的乳腺癌风险是过高的。”Begg博士说，他是纽约Memorial Sloan Kettering癌症中心流行病学和生物统计学的主席。
Despite a dearth of good prevalence data, Dr. Begg estimated that about one-half of 1%, or about 750,000 women in the U.S., carry the risky genes. The genes also are linked to ovarian-cancer risk. The JAMA study only looked at women with breast cancer, and relied on interviews with the women about their relatives' health status.
尽管缺少完整的流行病数据，Begg博士估计，在美国大概有0.5%，或者750000名妇女携带这种基因风险。这些基因与卵巢癌风险也相关。《JAMA杂志》的研究只观察乳腺癌妇女，同时依靠采访妇女获得她们的亲属的健康情况。
Women in the study faced higher risk if a relative's breast cancer was diagnosed at a young age or had occurred in both breasts. Risk varies as a result of lifestyle and environmental factors, as well as other breast-cancer genes.
在本研究中，那些其亲属年轻就患乳腺癌或者其亲属患双侧乳腺癌的的妇女，具有更高的患乳腺癌风险。当生活方式、环境因素和其它乳腺癌基因作用的影响时，其患乳腺癌的风险是会变化的。
Currently, BRCA1 and 2 testing is recommended for women with families already affected by cancer, rather than as a population-screening tool for women worried about breast cancer but not at risk.
当前，BRCA1和BRCA2基因的检测对于有家族乳腺癌病史的妇女是推荐的，而不是作为对那些没有这种基因风险、而担心患乳腺癌的妇女进行人口筛查的工具。
Costing as much as $3,000, the test is generally covered by insurers if a woman has a family risk. But as technology advances and costs decline, Dr. Begg predicts broader screening will occur.
该项检测的费用是3000美元，如果该妇女有患乳腺癌风险的家族史，通常保险公司可以报销该项检测费用。
\"My fear is once you're designated a carrier, you clue into this belief that your risk is high. My point is that, if we do population screening, we shouldn't be giving them that 80% [figure],\" Dr. Begg said, adding that he has no ties to testing companies
“我的担心是这种情况：一旦你被认为是乳腺癌风险的携带者，你就会自然而然的认为你的患病风险是高的。我的观点是，如果我们进行人群筛检，我们不应该给她们下80%的患病风险。” Begg博士说，“他与该公司无任何利益关系。” |
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发表于 2008-3-8 23:29:26