Blood Test May Help Predict Breast Cancer

A blood test may be able to predict a woman’s risk of breast cancer years ahead of time, a new study suggests. The blood test looks for methylation of a gene called ATM. Methylation happens when small molecules called methyl groups attach to a gene’s DNA. High levels of methylation can stop a gene from working properly. The new study included 640 women with breast cancer and 741 women without breast cancer. Researchers analyzed blood samples from all of the women. They were taken an average of 3 years before cancer diagnosis. Women who had the highest levels of methylation were twice as likely to develop breast cancer as those with the lowest levels. The effects were especially strong for women under age 60, one of the study authors told HealthDay News. Researchers said this type of test might be used to help predict women’s risk of breast cancer.