Faulty DNA error correction genes set stage for familial gastric cancer

Published in the Gastroenterology Journal, UC Davis researchers have identified genetic variations that contribute to familial gastric cancer. Inherited mutations – which affect the PALB2, BRCA1 and RAD51C genes and have been implicated in other cancer types – impair a critical DNA repair mechanism called homologous recombination. These findings could improve preventive care and new gastric cancer therapies.