A new study cites that abnormal breast cancer genes may also increase the risk of women developing salivary gland cancer.
Around 12% of women in the United States will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. In 2014 alone, more than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer while around 60,000 will have breast cancer in situ.
Around 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases can be attributed to certain genetic mutations, primarily BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. In their normal form, these genes can prevent the development of tumors through proper cellular growth and repair of damaged DNA. However, they may become abnormal, which then increases the risk of women to certain types of cancer. These gene mutations make up 25% of most hereditary-caused breast cancers.
Women who have these gene mutations, which can be determined through a screening test, increase their risk of developing breast cancer from 12% to 80%. They are also susceptible to other kinds of cancer, including pancreatic, melanoma, and thyroid.
The Ohio State University College of Medicine researchers worked with almost 200 people diagnosed with breast cancer and who carried the mutated genes. They also looked into the medical history of their close relatives. Some of them had been tested to carry the same mutation. This increased the number of participants to more than 5,000.
After analysis, the researchers discovered that 3 of the participants who had relatives with breast cancer were later diagnosed with salivary gland cancer, a rate of 0.052%, much higher than the average rate of the general population at 0.003% (salivary gland cancer is uncommon). One of these salivary gland cancer patients had a relative with a confirmed gene mutation. The other two had relatives who had not been tested with the abnormal genes, although the researchers are confident that one of them has a 50% chance of possessing such gene.
The study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery last September 25, 2014, is the first to create a link between the mutated gene and the cancer.
