Two genes which are five times more likely to be defective in Ashkenazi Jewish women of European descent than in the general population, are the focus of researchers who are looking to prevent cancers which are caused by the defective genes.
BRCA1 and BRCA2, dubbed the "Jewish breast cancer genes", were discovered in the 1990s, and are now among the most heavily researched genetic mutations in the world of cancer research. The pair of genes is responsible for creating proteins to fix broken DNA strands. But When the genes are mutated, the cells produce proteins which are unable to repair broken DNA, leading to the creation of cancer instead.
A new research project out of New York University - the Jewish Women's Breast and Ovarian Cancer Genetics Study - was launched in late September. Researchers will travel across the United States, collecting DNA samples of thousands of older Jewish women who do not have cancer in order to determine why they were spared, with a focus on how the cancer process might be prevented.
A recent trend among women with the genetic defect is to preemptively remove both breasts in order to all but eliminate the risk of breast cancer. Some women have also opted to have their ovaries removed, to prevent ovarian cancer and reduce the risk of breast cancer.
A concurrent study is being done on a drug which was created to act specifically on defective cells caused by BRCA1 and BRCA2. The new drug would eliminate the need for chemotherapy or other procedures which also eradicate healthy cells, only killing cells with mutated BRCA genes.
The drug could also be developed as a prophylactic treatment in women who are predisposed to cancer caused by BRCA mutation, but who have not yet developed the illness.
Other research is being conducted into women who have mutated BRCA but who do not develop cancer. A consortium of investigators from the University of Cambridge is looking into genes which interact with BRCA genes, leading to a higher chance of cancer.
A recent report from Israel's Ministry of Health shows that cancer in women in the Jewish State declined by 13 percent between 2000 and 2006, with breast cancer dropping drastically.