Racial Clues in Bowel Cancer Find

Scientists have recently found certain genes that increase the risk for bowel cancer in different races. The scientists found that one of the genes increased the risk in people of European descent but not in Japanese individuals. The scientists are now moving to the next step which is developing ways to predict people which are at a higher risk. Currently, bowel cancer is not detected until it is in its later stages which reduces the chance for successful treatment. The reason that this is so significant, is because it gives doctors a way to know which patients to follow and suspect more closely due to the genes that suggest the cancer. The only problem with this type of identification procedure is that it has been found that one gene means that people of European descent are more susceptible while those of Japanese descent are not. Overall, this finding is extremely significant and could save many lives in the future.

Cody Covington

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7319251.stm