Posts Tagged ‘Genome’

The headline ‘Bespoke Cancer Cure’ hit the front page of the Daily Mail yesterday.  Not that one would question the credibility of the Daily Mail’s reporting, but my first reaction was to assume huge exaggeration on the Mail’s part.  However, they’re not that far off the mark.  Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge have sequenced the DNA mutations that lead to both lung and skin cancer.  This ground breaking discovery opens up a huge range of possibilities, from early identification of the cancer to new and better targeted treatments. 

Without trying to detract from the importance of such a discovery, I think it is fair to say that it is a rare occurrence when a cancer related story doesn’t hit the headlines in some form or another.  However, with expressions such as ‘DNA mutation‘ or ‘Genetic abnormalities’, there does seem to be a certain level of scientific understanding assumed.   So for those of you who are not experts in cancer genetics, and more importantly, those of you who care, I have written a basic explanation of the origins of cancer.

What causes cancer?

Essentially, cancers are caused by specific abnormalities in the genetic material of cells.  Every cell has a series of natural defence mechanisms in order to prevent a cancerous growth occurring.  However, if all of these mechanisms are bypassed then the cell will become cancerous and a malignant tumour may form.  Below is a brief outline of the various stages a cell must overcome in order to become cancerous.

• Disregard the internal and external signals that regulate cell growth
• Avoid the cells last resort defence mechanism of self destruction
• Avoid the cell’s predetermined replication limit and do not evolve into a specialised cell type
• Remain highly susceptible to mutation
• Escape from their home tissues, i.e. cells from the heart travel to the liver
• Survive and grow in foreign sites

So hopefully with a greater understanding of the origins of cancer, you will be in a better position to truly appreciate the importance of this latest breakthrough.  By being able to identify the very point when a cells defence system begins to break down, we may one day be in a position to identify and eliminate cancer before it even begins.