A pioneering programme to test cancer patients for nearly 100 risk genes is to start in London and could represent the future of treatment in the NHS.
It will look for genes such as those which led Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie to have a double mastectomy.
The results will be used to pick targeted drugs or decide how much of the tissue around a tumour to remove.
It will also highlight patients at high risk of additional cancers, who need to be monitored closely.
Some people with BRCA gene mutations have an 80% risk of breast cancer.
The testing will be run by the Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden hospital in London.
Prof Nazneen Rahman, lead investigator of the programme said: "It is very important to know if a mutation in a person's genetic blueprint has caused their cancer.
Prof Martin Gore, the medical director of the Royal Marsden, said this would be "an exciting change of practice", which patients were ready for. "Patient's want to know. I'm asked several times a day, 'Is this hereditary?' There's no point pretending that patients don't want to know."
The test, developed by biotechnology firm Illumina, looks for 97 genes which increase the risk of cancer. More risk genes can be added to the test once they are discovered.
It is available for use in other hospitals, but the researchers say this is the first attempt at introducing mass cancer-risk gene testing as a cornerstone of treatment.
Prof Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said: "Researchers now have a wealth of information about the inherited gene faults that increase a person's cancer risk, and this knowledge can help tailor treatments for patients whose cancers are linked to these mutations.
Dr Caitlin Palframan, from Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "This programme has a lot of potential as this type of testing may help lay the ground for more personalised treatment for people with breast cancer.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22599402#
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