Study: Testicular Cancer May Be in Your Genes
By TAMARA VOSTOK
Updated 12:45 PM EST, Mon, Jun 1, 2009
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered genes, which leave some men almost five times more likely to develop testicular cancer, according to Zee News.
“Despite being quite heritable, there really have not been any clear genetic risk factors that can account for most cases of testicular cancer,” Dr. Katherine L. Nathanson, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine told Forbes.com. “These variants are the first striking genetic risk factors found for this disease to date.”
Men with two copies of the KITLG gene were found 4.5 times more likely to develop testicular cancer, while those with KITLG next to another gene, SPRY4, are 1.48 times more at risk, reported Zee News .
Testicular cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer. There are nearly 140,000 men who have survived testicular cancer in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
First Published: Jun 1, 2009 11:33 AM EST
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