Tumors: Jolie gene dangerous for men too

Hereditary mutations of the Brca1 and Brca2 genes renamed the 'Jolie gene' - named after the actress who made it known that they are known to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in women - are also dangerous for men. This is what emerges from a study coordinated by the Sapienza University of Rome, in collaboration with the international consortium Cimba (Consortium for Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1 / 2) and supported by the Airc foundation.
    Those who have mutations in the Brca2 gene are in fact about three times more likely to have breast, prostate and pancreas cancer than those who have the Brca1 gene, and tumors with a young appearance are more frequent. The group led by Laura Ottini, as explained in the journal Jama Oncology, also found that colon tumors are more frequent in men with a mutation of the Brca1 gene. "Thanks to the collaboration of over 50 research groups all over the world, we have obtained and analyzed the clinical data of about 7000 men carrying Brca1 and Brca2 mutations", explains the researcher Valentina Silvestri. n "In women it is known that the two Brca genes have a different impact on cancer risk, but little was known about any differences in men."
    The study made it possible to compare the clinical characteristics of men with Brca1 mutations with those of men with Brca2 mutations in a wide range of cases, highlighting the differences. The results show that if Brca1 is the most risky in women, it is Brca2 mutations in men. "To improve the effectiveness of cancer screening and surveillance programs in men with Brca mutations, these differences will have to be considered," says Laura Ottini. "The results of this study will help oncologists to sensitize men about their personal oncological risk - he concludes - and to guide future studies to develop increasingly personalized and gender-specific guidelines".