THREE hundred members of the same Liverpool family are helping scientists in their quest to cure one of the 10 most dangerous cancers in the world.
A team from Liverpool University spent 10 years studying the seven generations to pinpoint the genetic area that causes the disease.
It has now found a number of genes believed to be the ones which trigger cancer of the oesophagus.
The death rate is high because symptoms are often not noticed until the disease is too far developed to be curable.
John Field, professor of molecular oncology, said: "This discovery will provide further insights into the development of oesophageal cancer which develops by chance in the general population." He said it could help with diagnosis and treatment.
Scientists from the faculty of medicine's molecular genetics and oncology group studied three families with inherited oesophageal cancer who also have a disorder called tylosis, that causes excessive thickening of the skin on the palms and soles.
They found 300 members in a single family from Liverpool, all over 20, who have tylosis and are also at risk of developing the disease.
The researchers pinpointed the gene responsible to a small region of a single chromosome, the thread-like structures in our bodies that carry genes.
Prof Field said: "We have discovered that one of the genes is not working properly in the oesophagus of family members who have the skin disorder, tylosis.
"However, we would also like to find out if the gene is abnormal in patients with oesphageal cancer which is not inherited, as this would have far-reaching implications beyond these three families."
Tylosis oesophageal cancer only runs in families and does not target everyone with thick skin on their hands and feet.
Recently, fewer members of the studied family have died of the disease due to earlier detection and treatment using standard medical screening and surgery.
The results of the study, funded by the Liverpool-based North West Cancer Research Fund and Cancer Research UK, are being published this week.