Genetic link to rare brain tumour discovered

Scientists have conducted the first whole-genome scan of the brain tumour meningioma and revealed a genetic region that increases the risk of developing the disease, according to research published in Nature Genetics.

Professor Richard Houlston from The Institute of Cancer Research led the major international study comparing the DNA of 1,633 meningioma patients and 2,464 healthy people.

Relatives of people with meningiomas are three times more likely to develop the disease but little is known about what increases their risk. A small proportion of meningiomas are linked to four rare genetic diseases called neurofibromatiosis type-2, Coden, Werner and Gorlin symdromes.

Professor Houlston said: "We knew that people with certain rare inherited diseases are more likely to develop meningiomas. Although these inherited diseases significantly increase the chance of getting this type of brain cancer, they are so rare that they account for a very small proportion of the increased risk. Our study begins to shed light on the biggest part of the inherited risk.

"The genetic region we've found is very closely linked with two genes called AF10 and MLLT10, which we know are involved in the development of leukaemia. We can't say at this stage whether the diseases are linked or even if the two genetic regions interact, but we'll be looking at this in our follow up studies."

The study was funded by Cancer Research UK.

Source: Cancer Research UK