Queensland scientists have helped identify five new gene regions linked to a woman's increased risk of developing endometrial cancer.
Previously, researchers were aware of four regions that contributed to the risk of developing the cancer, which affects the lining of the uterus and is among the most commonly-diagnosed in Australian women.
The head of QIMR Berghofer's Molecular Cancer Epidemiology laboratory, Associate Professor Amanda Spurdle, said the discovery would paint a clearer picture of the genetic causes of cancer in women who do not have a strong family history of the disease.
"Interestingly, several of the gene regions we identified in the study were already known to contribute to the risk of other common cancers," she said.
The findings, which have been published in the journal Nature Genetics, have implications for the future treatment of women affected by endometrial cancer.
Nearly 2500 new cases were expected to be diagnosed in 2015.
Associate Prof Spurdle said researchers would be able to look at which genes could be targeted for new treatments.
"In particular, we can start looking into whether there are drugs that are already approved and available for use that can be used to target those genes," she said.
The study was jointly conducted by scientists in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, the United States and China.
