Polygenes, risk prediction, and targeted prevention of breast cancer. The New England journal of medicine [N Engl J Med] Journal article

Title	Polygenes, risk prediction, and targeted prevention of breast cancer.
Author(s)	Pharoah PD, Antoniou AC, Easton DF, Ponder BA
Institution	Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. paul.pharoah@srl.cam.ac.uk
Source	N Engl J Med 2008 Jun 26; 358(26):2796-803.
MeSH	Alleles Breast Neoplasms Female Genetic Markers Genetic Predisposition to Disease Genotype Humans Multifactorial Inheritance Penetrance Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide Risk Risk Assessment
Abstract	BACKGROUND: New developments in the search for susceptibility alleles in complex disorders provide support for the possibility of a polygenic approach to the prevention and treatment of common diseases. METHODS: We examined the implications, both for individualized disease prevention and for public health policy, of findings concerning the risk of breast cancer that are based on common genetic variation. RESULTS: Our analysis suggests that the risk profile generated by the known, common, moderate-risk alleles does not provide sufficient discrimination to warrant individualized prevention. However, useful risk stratification may be possible in the context of programs for disease prevention in the general population. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical use of single, common, low-penetrance genes is limited, but a few susceptibility alleles may distinguish women who are at high risk for breast cancer from those who are at low risk, particularly in the context of population screening.
Language	eng
Pub Type(s)	Journal Article
PubMed ID	18579814

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