The gene, called BRIP1, increased the risk of developing breast cancer in women with a family history of the disease, said researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research, in Sutton, Britain.

    Researchers studied the gene in 1,212 women with breast cancer, and compared the results with 2,081 healthy women.

    Nine of the breast cancer patients had mutations in the BRIP1 gene but just two of 2,081 cancer-free women did.

    The study also found that women carrying the faulty BRIP1 gene had an increased risk, from one in 12 to one in six by age 70.

    Nazneen Rahman, one of the researchers, said: "BRIP1 is the latest gene we have found and leads to a small increased risk of breast cancer. "

    The findings, published in this week's issue of the journal Nature Genetics, could lead to better prevention and more closely tailored treatment for the disease.

    Breast cancer kills 500,000 people a year globally, according to the World Health Organization. Enditem

    (Agencies)