Israel launches computational model to predicts breast cancer

On Tuesday, Tel Aviv University in Israel announced the development of a computational model to anticipate increased genetic risk for breast cancer. The model will be able to determine a personal genetic risk score for breast cancer based on an individual’s genetic profile, for the first time in Israel.

The University, in a press release, said that this technique can form the basis for the implementation of a personalized early detection policy and may help save lives and allow more effective use of the health system’s resources.

The research was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Genetics and is based on a large-scale international study that includes the genomic data of around a quarter of a million women with and without breast cancer. After collecting the data it was applied to the findings of about 2,000 Israeli women.

Professor Rani Elkon of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU’s School of Medicine said, “Our method will allow the health system to move to a personalized early detection policy… those who are identified as being at high risk will be tested from a younger age and more frequently.”

Around the world, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. While it is gradually in the declining phase over the past few decades, the chances are that 2.5 per cent (1 in 39 women), will fall victim to the disease.