Section of Cancer Genetics
Chairman: Professor Nazneen Rahman
Model of DNA
The focus of the Section of Cancer Genetics is the study of inherited susceptibility to cancer. Genetic factors that increase the risk of cancer occurring are relevant to most types of cancer. Some of these susceptibility genes are associated with high-risks of cancers and can lead to familial clustering of the disease and/or cancer syndromes.
However, they are rare in the population and make a small contribution to the overall cancer burden. More recently genetic factors that cause small increases in the risk of an individual developing cancer have been discovered. Although the individual effect of these variants is minor, they are often common in the population and therefore can make an appreciable contribution to the disease.
Research programmes within the section use multiple methods to investigate predisposition to a wide range of cancers, including breast, colorectal, prostate, testicular, childhood cancers, and leukaemias. The primary aim of the section is to identify cancer predisposition genes and characterise their prevalence and risk in order to shape clinical practice.
