The substance is made in the breast and ovarian cells under the control of a gene called BRCA1. Mutations of the gene was shown to be responsible for the inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancers. The BRCA1 gene, along with a related gene BCRA2, is thought to account for the majority of the inherited cases of breast cancers. Although several aspects of the work remains to be confirmed, it is hoped that the discovery could lead to important possibilities for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers. A recent report is bringing hope to finding a simple and yet accurate test for detection of bladder cancer when it is at its early and consequently most easily treatable stages of its development.
Current tests attempt to detect cancer cells in a person's urine.
However, this method can be faulty since early cancers may not shed many cells into the urine, and even if they do, some may appear normal. Although this method is can detect presence of cancer cells in the urine of individuals with advanced cancers, it is not sensitive in detecting early forms of the bladder cancer. It is in the early stages that cancers can be most easily and effectively treated. This means that when the proteins are detected in the urine, they are likely to be derived from bladder cancer than any other lesion in the bladder. The discovery will enable the development of urine and blood tests for diagnosing new and recurrent bladder cancers.