Premium
Genetic epidemiology of ovarian cancer: segregation analysis
Author(s) -
Houlston R. S.,
Collins A.,
Slack J.,
Campbell S.,
Collins W. P.,
Whitehead M. I.,
Morton N. E.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
annals of human genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1469-1809
pISSN - 0003-4800
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-1809.1991.tb00856.x
Subject(s) - epidemiology , ovarian cancer , genetic epidemiology , cancer , genetics , biology , medicine
Summary The genetic epidemiology of ovarian cancer has been investigated by complex segregationanalysis of 462 pedigrees ascertained through a normal consultand. The observed pattern of ovarian cancer is compatible with an autosomal dominant gene. The gene frequency of the abhormal allele is 0–0015‐0‐0026 with a lifetime penetrance of 0.744.79. The gene frequency accounts for a significant proportion of ovarian cancer in young women. By age 70 the majority of affected women are phenocopies. The results from this analysis should enable the risks of ovarian cancer to be more accurately estimated than by empiric methods forrelatives of affected women, and can maximize the usefulness of screening programmes and future linkage studies.