Prof Julian Peto
Epidemiology, genes and cancer
Professor Julian Peto is the Chair of Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey.
His group conducts large population-based studies and genetic research into several cancers, including breast cancer, cervical cancer and mesothelioma.
Since 2004 Professor Peto has been based mainly at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he has a joint appointment.
His work at the LSHTM is carried out in collaboration with Dr Isabel dos Santos Silva. His group at the Institute of Cancer Research includes a genetic laboratory led by Dr Olivia Fletcher in the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre (ICR, Fulham Road) and his Cancer Research UK Epidemiology and Genetics Unit (ICR, Sutton, Surrey).
Breast cancer epidemiology
Professor Peto and his team have collected blood samples and questionnaire data from thousands of breast cancer patients. They use this information to look for genetic variations which put people at increased risk of breast cancer.
Scientists already know of several very rare genes which put people at high risk of breast cancer when they are damaged. But a large body of research suggests that there are many common gene variants in the general population that also increase a person's risk, but to a lesser degree.
Women who inherit a large number of these ‘low-risk’ genes may be at particularly high risk. Professor Peto's team aims to track down these variants and find how common they are in the general population.
In separate studies, the team is measuring the levels of a protein called IGF in blood samples and analysing breast density in mammograms (X-ray images of the breast) to see how these are linked to a woman’s risk of breast cancer. They are especially interested in genes that influence IGF levels or breast density, as these genes may help to predict the risk of breast cancer.
Professor Peto's work may one day help doctors to identify women at highest risk of breast cancer, and offer them appropriate advice, screening or treatment.
Discovery of the genes involved in breast cancer risk will also be an important step towards understanding how breast cancer develops, which in turn could lead to new treatments to prevent or cure it.
Cervical cancer and the virus that causes it
In addition to their work on breast cancer epidemiology and genetics, Professor Peto and his team are doing studies to improve the national cervical screening programme including a large trial in which women are tested for HPV (human papillomavirus), the virus that causes cervical cancer.
HPV testing may be a better screening test than a conventional cervical smear, and HPV vaccination could eventually prevent cervical cancer.
Mesothelioma
The unit also carries out work on occupational carcinogens particularly asbestos, which is a major cause of mesothelioma. Workers in the UK construction industry are still sometimes exposed to asbestos when working in older buildings, and asbestos is still widely used in many developing countries.
