More than 80 genome regions that can raise a person’s risk of developing prostate, breast and ovarian cancers, have been identified in a huge study led by scientists from the University of Cambridge and The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
Scientists say that the work, conducted through COGS (Collaborative Oncological Gene-Environment Study), will push forward our understanding of the biological causes of cancer.
They warn, however, that the findings do not provide enough data to currently predict who will develop breast, prostate or ovarian cancers on the basis of genetics alone.
COGS is an EU-based consortium where more than 160 research groups from all over the world coordinate their work.
Coordinator of the COGS, Per Hall, said “People are already asking us, ‘Shouldn’t you genotype all people, to determine their individual risk for being diagnosed with these cancers?’,… But it’s too early.”
COGS has released a batch of 13 papers in five journals this week, including: Nature Communications, Nature Genetics, PLOS Genetics, the American Journal of Human Genetic, and Human Molecular Genetics.
The study will lead to a deeper understanding of how these cancers develop, and hopefully new therapies and targeted screening, the authors explained.
Seeking out SNPs or “spelling mistakes”
The researchers were specifically looking for SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) – genetic variations – that might be associated with a greater risk of developing cancer. Authors from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who were involved in the study, describe the SNPs as “genetic spelling mistakes” or “typos”.
SNPs are part of our natural heritage, genetic “typos” we inherit. How they affect a person depends on where on the DNA strand the genetic defect is found.
The scientists studied the DNA of more than 100,000 cancer patients and an additional 100,000 individuals from the general population. They discovered mutations that patients with ovarian, breast or prostate cancers had in common.
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