The genes we have for determination of the colour of our eyes and hair and how our bodies grow might also influence the changes that occur in tumors when we develop cancer.
According to researchers at the Ohio State University, our normal genetic background that is the genetic variations that we inherit contributes to different DNA changes that occur in tumor cells as cancer develops.
Multiple independent tumors from people with a form of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were compared for losses and gains of DNA in tumor cells. The results showed that the pattern of these changes is quite similar in tumors from the same person but quite different in tumors from different individuals. This study may offer a new way to identify individuals at greater risk for developing cancer. They found that the changes in SCCs from the same patient were statistically similar but significantly different when compared with other patients. They also found that in some cases a particular kind of genetic change is preferentially selected in tumors from the same individual.
These studies provide strong evidence that an individual's genetic background plays a key role in driving the changes that occur in tumors during cancer development.
Any advance in cancer research is a good thing. It's a disease that affects everyone in one way or another, and there's really no cure or prevention. There's so many different types, and they can affect everyone differently. This study provides insight into the way tumors develop in different people, but it is definitely a far way away from curing cancer. It's a little bit of a stretch to think this research will help us understand cancer, but hopefully it will, and it's definitely a step in the right direction.
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