- You are here:
- Home
- Health
- Health information
- Health news
- December 2009
- Genetics of two common cancers uncovered
Genetics of two common cancers uncovered
18 December 2009: The genetics of a type of lung cancer and a type of skin cancer have been mapped by researchers.
|
|
Using a new type of genetic technology, scientists have uncovered the changes (mutations) that cause a type of lung cancer called small-cell lung cancer and a common skin cancer, malignant melanoma. This breakthrough could hold the key to possible treatments and ways of preventing these cancers developing.
The findings were published in two new studies in the journal Nature.
In the first study, researchers discovered over 23,000 mutations that cause small-cell lung cancer. All were closely related to cigarette smoking, a known cause of cancer. A number of specific mutations were directly linked to cancer-causing agents found in cigarettes.
The researchers found that a person who develops lung cancer has smoked on average for 50 years and smoked 7,300 cigarettes each year (about a pack a day). The researchers calculated that for every 15 cigarettes smoked a new mutation develops, and that the effects of one cigarette on the lungs could be much higher than expected.
In the second study, over 30,000 mutations for malignant melanoma were found. Malignant melanoma mutations are closely related to too much ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. Some mutations can occur without UV, but the number of mutations almost doubles with exposure to UV light. The researchers found that the DNA tries to repair some of the mutations, but many mutations cannot be repaired once damaged.
Dr Sneh Khemka, Medical Director for Bupa International, said: “This study heralds the future possibility of treating or preventing diseases in people using their genetic code as a guide. Links between genetics and the environment, the field of epigenetics, is an exciting and revolutionary prospect.
“Although new, breakthrough treatments and methods of prevention may be a long way off, what we can take from this research is that the effects of smoking and too much exposure to UV light can have a hugely detrimental effect on the body. The changes to our DNA have been magnified and cannot be ignored.
“Make quitting smoking your resolution for the coming year, use sunscreens and sun blocks, hats and clothing when out in the sunshine, and don’t use sunbeds.”
Key facts
-
Lung cancer is the highest cause of cancer-related death worldwide and more than a million people get it each year.
-
About 15 in every 100 people who get lung cancer have small-cell lung cancer.
-
Too much sunlight or using sunbeds are known causes of malignant melanoma.
- About 200,000 people get malignant melanoma each year worldwide and a third of these people died from the disease.
Contact us
-
To discuss your needs, please call us on:
+44 (0) 1273 718 306
The changes to our DNA have been magnified and cannot be ignored.
Dr Sneh Khemka
Upcoming treatment?
Please call our Medical Centre on:
+44 (0) 1273 333 911
We will check your cover and talk through any concerns you have