(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fazeena Saleem |The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Precision healthcare is impacting lives in Qatar, and several individuals have received proactive treatment to prevent breast and ovarian cancer.
Some 22 participants in a primary study of the Qatar Precision Health Institute's (QPHI) Qatar Biobank were found with genetic mutations that cause breast and ovarian cancer and certain precautions were taken by Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) National Centre for Cancer Care to prevent contracting the disease even before symptoms appear, said an official.“This research has saved the lives of 22 participants,” said Dima Darwish, Head of Genomic Education at QPHI.
The BRCA Gene Mutations study investigates genetic predispositions to breast and ovarian cancers among Qatar's population, contributing to advancements in personalised medicine and cancer prevention strategies. It examines whether the person has the chance of getting one type of the cancer BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 - genes that produce proteins that help suppress tumours.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are sometimes referred to as 'breast cancer susceptibility genes' because mutations in these genes can significantly increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. When these genes are mutated, they don't function properly, which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and the formation of tumours. Individuals who inherit mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes have a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers compared to those without these mutations.
“From the data that the Qatar Biobank collected and from the whole genome analysis of all participants we found certain individuals had the variant for the gene mutated with a possibility of getting breast or ovarian cancer,” Darwish said speaking to media recently.
“These 22 patients we discovered by studying and analysing their whole genome. We found they were not yet patients but going to be patients. For very early prevention, we referred them to NCCCR and all 22 have received treatment accordingly and cured even before the disease started,” she said adding that genomes of women with the heredity of breast or ovarian cancer were also included in the study. Darwish said QPHI will continue the BRCA study.
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