In a feat that could one day result in groundbreaking new cancer treatments, British scientists have identified genetic mutations that lead to lung cancer and melanoma.
The findings were published December 16, 2009 in the journal Nature. Researchers at The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England, took cancerous cells from two patients — one with melanoma and one with lung cancer — and compared them to normal, healthy cells taken from the same individuals. Nearly 23,000 cell changes (called mutations) were found in the lung cancer genome, while more than 30,000 were found in the melanoma genome. While most mutations are harmless, the more mutations that occur, the more likely it is one will lead to cancer.
The findings are remarkable because this is the first time that almost all of the mutations in the genomes of lung cancer and melanoma have been revealed. Even more important, the techniques used in this study allowed the researchers to identify what caused the mutations in the first place.
More than one billion people worldwide smoke tobacco, and this new research provides evidence that tobacco use directly led to lung cancer by altering the patient’s genes — the researchers estimated that one mutation occurred for every 15 cigarettes the patient smoked. The researchers also discovered evidence of damage caused by sunlight in the melanoma sufferer’s genes, which one day may help us understand how UV exposure leads to cancer.
This is really exciting news, because increased understanding of the role genes and genetic mutations play in disease will surely lead to new cures. In fact, the DNA sequencing technology scientists used in this research could one day be used to sequence the genome of every individual cancer patient to create a tailor-made drug and treatment plan for each.
The bottom line is: avoid sunburns and don’t smoke! We’ve known for years these activities can lead to cancer and we’re finally discovering why.
