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June 10, 2019 Monday 01:58:31 PM IST

Cell Mutations Responsible for Cancer

Cell mutations could explain why some people become susceptible to cancer, according to a new research conducted by geneticists at Wellcome Sanger Institute in Hinxton, UK.

Our body is a complex mosaic made up of cells with different genomes. A survey of 29 different types of tissues revealed that a substantial number of cells in our body already contain cancer mutations. The DNA errors that happen during cell division or exposure to cigarette smoke can cause cancer. Skin, lungs and oesophagus exhibit high levels of mosaicism.

The results are based on 6700 samples taken from 29 tissues of about 500 people.
The new research is expected to in finding out how cancer starts and how it can be detected earlier. Researchers have the challenge of sorting out which cells become tumors and which are normal. This would be vital for successful early detection of cancers, according t CristianTomasetti, an applied mathematician at John Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Photo Courtesy: Gerd Altman, Pixabay

Source: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6444/eaaw0726