Cervical cancer gene discoveries
Friday December 27th, 2013
The unravelling of a series of gene mutations linked to cervical cancer may offer new treatment hopes, researchers have said.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women and, causing about one in ten female cancer deaths in women.
Dr Matthew Meyerson, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and his team carried out a detailed analysis of cervical cancer genes in samples from 115 cervical cancer patients from Norway and Mexico, for the research reported in Nature.
They found 13 genetic mutations, including at least one that is already targeted by existing cancer drugs. Eight of the mutations had not previously been identified in cervical cancer.
The team says they can also help explain the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical cancer development. Exposure to HPV triggers almost all cases of the disease.
Dr Meyerson says: "Cancer is a disease that affects the whole world, and one question that always arises is: is a given cancer type similar or different across populations? While we don't have the complete answer yet in this case, what we are seeing is that, in two different populations, the causes of cervical cancer are similar and, fundamentally in both cases, it comes down to HPV-genome interaction."
Co-author Jorge Melendez added: "Low and middle-income countries suffer the largest burden of cancer in the world. Nevertheless, only 5% of all the global resources dedicated to this group of diseases are allocated to them.
"Initiatives that promote joint efforts with developing countries will help to advance not only the knowledge of the shared and distinct biological aspects of cancer diseases, but also highlight local action items to impact public health."
Ojesina, A. et al. Landscape of genomic alterations in cervical carcinomas. Nature 25 December 2013 doi: 10.1038/nature12881
Tags: Cancer | Genetics | North America | Pharmaceuticals | Women’s Health & Gynaecology
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