Comment on Genetic variant helps protect Latinas from breast cancer

[...] what we are trying to do is think of how best to incorporate this genetic information with other risk-factor information to better provide a picture of breast cancer risk. [...] the discovery highlights the existence of genetic risk factor differences between racial groups and ethnicities, and the advent of genome decoding allows researchers to explore those differences. Understanding these variations could shed light on who is most at risk for breast cancer and why some people are less likely to develop the disease — and knowing those could lead to a better understanding of cancer overall. Research has identified various mutations, particularly the BRCA genes most closely associated with those of European Jewish descent, that put certain people at higher risk of breast cancer. “Finding this protector means researchers can ...