Genes link to breast cancer survival

Testing for the activity of two genes could help doctors identify women at an increased risk of dying from breast cancer, research suggests.

Women whose tumours display a specific activity pattern are three times more likely to die within 10 years than those with a different pattern, a study found. The genes, called F12 and STC2, are thought to play a key role in freeing cancer cells to spread around the body.

The study, conducted by scientists at London’s Institute of Cancer Research, focused on almost 2,000 women with HER2 positive breast cancer, who make up about a fifth of patients. Their tumours produce high levels of the protein HER2, which fuels cancer growth.