Monash University leads national DNA screening for cancer and heart disease with saliva test
The lives of countless young Australians could be saved by a world-first DNA screening study which can detect increased risk of some cancers and heart disease.
Melbourne‘s Monash University will lead a national screening program of at least 10,000 people aged 18-40, who will be tested for genes that increase the risk of certain types of cancers and heart disease that often go undetected.
Participants are being recruited through social media and anyone in the age group can apply to take part.
Supported by researchers and clinicians across the country, DNA Screen will identify those with variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that lead to an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in women.
These genes – BRCA1 is the gene actress Angelina Jolie has previously spoken about having – are also linked to breast and prostate cancer in men, although not as strongly.
Actress Angelina Jolie (pictured) had a double mastectomy after discovering she had a significantly elevated risk of developing breast cancer due to mutation of the BRCA1 gene
In 2013, Jolie had a double mastectomy after genetic screening showed she had a significantly elevated risk of developing breast cancer due to mutation of the BRCA1 gene.
Men and women who carry DNA variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can also pass them onto their children.
The test is free and involves placing a saliva sample into a small tube received by mail, and sending it back in a postage paid envelope.
Researchers say the screening could ultimately save countless lives.
‘We expect to identify about one in 75 people at high risk of these diseases,’ Monash University’s co-lead for the national project Jane Tiller said.
‘Those found to be high risk won’t necessarily get the disease, but pinpointing risk before symptoms appear enables prevention through regular check-ups, medication, or risk-reducing surgery. It could save their life.’
Associate Professor Paul Lacaze, from Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said the testing would allow young people to make more informed decisions about their health.
The lives of countless young Australians could be saved by a world-first DNA screening study which can detect increased risk of some cancers and heart disease. Pictured is a stock image of a scientist
‘We hope to identify those at risk while they are young and healthy, not after the fact,’ he said.
‘For some people, this could save their lives through early detection and prevention of cancer and heart disease.
‘This will also save considerable health system costs in Australia through prevention.’
DNA Screen, which was made possible through a $2.97million grant from the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund, is available to everyone in Australia aged 18-40.
What is the BRCA gene and how does it affect people’s risk of cancer?
Having a mutated BRCA gene – as famously carried by Angelina Jolie – dramatically increases the chance a woman will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, from 12 per cent to 90 per cent.
Actress Angelina Jolie (pictured) famously carried the BRCA1/2 mutations
Between one in 800 and one in 1,000 women carry a BRCA gene mutation, which increases the chances of breast and ovarian cancer.
Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that produce proteins to suppress tumours. When these are mutated, DNA damage can be caused and cells are more likely to become cancerous.
The mutations are usually inherited and increase the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer significantly.
When a child has a parent who carries a mutation in one of these genes they have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the mutations.
About 1.3 per cent of women in the general population will develop ovarian cancer, this increase to 44 per cent of women who inherit a harmful BRCA1 mutation.
