Genetics news | Genetics news

... Flaw found in gene test for breast-cancer risk Published: 03.22.2006 advertisement More than one in 10 women who pass the most common U.S.

test for a genetic trait linked to breast cancer may still get the disease, a...

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"600px" : "100%" ); } /* */ Wednesday, March 22, 2006 Cancer-risk test not fail-safe S.L.

firm's screening misses some cases By Andy Pollack New York Times News Service The widely used genetic test for breast cancer risk can miss mutations that help cause the disease, according to a new study, a finding that is likely to increase the pressure to develop more thorough testing methods.

The test, which looks for mutations in genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2, missed them in about 12 percent of breast cancer patients from families with multiple cases of breast or ovarian cancer, according to the study's authors at the University of Washington.

Experts cautioned that the chances of such false negative results were much smaller for women who were not from such high-risk families, so that most women who tested negative had little cause for concern.

In addition, experts said that even Ashkenazi Jews, who have a relatively high incidence of mutations, tend to have specific types that are not likely to be missed by the test.

Also, if a woman is tested for the same specific mutation her mother has, the test is not likely to miss it if it is there.

Still, experts said women in families with multiple cases of breast and ovarian cancer should take precautions as if they had a mutation, even if none was found.

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...There are also numerous contributing factors to diabetes, though it is clear that excess weight is a leading culprit.As a result, a dizzying array of diets compete to lure the overweight, with the Ornish diet (ultra low fat), the Atkins diet (fat is good), and the South Beach diet (which emphasizes the right balance of certain fats, carbohydrates, and protein).Perhaps most fundamental of all, while smoking is optional, eating isn't.

''Unlike smoking, where you can say, 'I'm never going to smoke again,' with eating, you are going to eat again," said Aviva Must, a specialist in the link between nutrition and disease at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

''When you think about the number of eating opportunities that confront every adult as they go through their life, it's a lot of little decisions, and the proliferation of choices and opportunities seems to be a little bit irresistible."The report released yesterday, part of a national monitoring network called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, surveyed 8,203 Massachusetts adults, providing a detailed portrait of the state's health status.Participants were asked to provide information about their weight and height, which was then converted into a widely used measurement called Body Mass Index.

Adults are considered overweight when their body mass index tops 25 - the point at which they begin to be at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

Anyone with a BMI of 30 or hig...