Ovarian cancer is a common form of cancer and a leading cause of cancer death among women. The genes we inherit affect our chances of developing ovarian cancer, and a new genomic study identifies 12 genetic variants associated with the risk. A large genetic study has identified 12 new variants commonly associated with the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

New research by an international team of scientists from the United Kingdom, the U.S., and Australia identifies 12 genetic variations that raise the likelihood of epithelial ovarian cancer. Among the 418 researchers are 10 Greek scientists.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common type of ovarian cancer. It forms in the epithelium (the tissue) that covers the ovaries. The results of the new genomic study were published in the journal Nature Genetics.

The new study was conducted as part of the OncoArray Consortium – a large genomic study looking at almost 450,000 samples in an attempt to identify the genetic background for most common cancers. The OncoArray Consortium used a novel genotyping technique that allowed the researchers to identify nearly 500,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are the most common type of variation found in the human genome. The inherited genetic architecture accounts for a significant portion of a woman’s risk of developing EOC, the authors explain.

The Greek researchers participating the the study are: Gerasimos Aravantinos, Irene L Andrulis, Florentia Fostira, George Fountzilas, Anthony Karnezis, Antonia Trichopoulou,  Athanassios Vratimos, Drakoulis Yannoukakos, Argyrios Ziogas and Antonis C Antoniou.