Researchers from the University of Calgary have rewritten the textbook explanation of how some people are more at risk of developing . They discovered for the first-time seven DNA patterns or fingerprints that define cancer risks in people. This provides new insights into multigenerational disease risk.
One of the most common explanations given for higher cancer risk is lifestyle, or, in other words, ‘bad habits.’
Lung Cancer Does Not Affect All Smokers
Not all people who smoke get lung cancer. And not all people eating cheeseburgers will get bowel carcinoma. ‘Other factors’ are at work.
Edwin Wang, a scientist at the University of Calgary, said that this discovery changes the explanation of cancer in textbooks. It now includes genetics.
He said that the germline genome pattern of a newborn baby will not change and is linked to a higher or lower cancer risk. The paper was published in Science Advances.
Germline is the genetic material that is transmitted from parents to children.
HIGHLY SPECIALISED BIOLOGICAL PHASES APPLICABLE FOR CANCER RISK
Scientists have now described the highly-specialized biological patterns that are related to cancer risk for the first time.
Wang discovered that DNA fingerprints can be divided into distinct subgroups based on their survival rates.
One germline offers against developing cancer. The other six germlines are more likely to cause cancer.
It is interesting that this germline is protective against cancer and appeared often in our genome analysis,” said Wang, a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at CSM.
This discovery could explain why some people smoke and live a bad lifestyle, but don’t get cancer.
10% of cancers are caused by specific gene mutations
Wang performed a systematic analysis on more than 26 000 germline genomes, including about 10,000 cancer patients and the remainder.
There are 22 different cancers in the samples, including those of the lung, pancreatic gland, bladder, breasts, brains, stomachs, thyroids, bone and more.
The control group included people who did not have cancer and were genotyped in Sweden, England, or Canada.
Machine learning was used to crunch massive amounts of data.
Wang stated that five to ten per cent of can be caused by gene mutations.
Consider breast cancer, and the inherited genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, which were made popular by Angelina Jolie.
The scientist said that “we found that one DNA fingerprint was enriched by tens or hundreds of times within the germline genomes from cancer patients. This suggests that it’s a universally inheritable trait that encodes cancer risk.”
BEWARE! Smokers who have such DNA patterns are at higher risk.
Researchers also found that a second DNA-fingerprint is highly enriched among cancer patients who are also . This indicates that smokers with this DNA-fingerprint may be at a greater risk of developing cancer.
Wang stated, “I hope further studies will be carried out in order to expand on this work so that clinicians can inform patients about their cancer risk and what precautions they should take to live a healthy lifestyle.”
OTHER RISK FIELDS FOR CANCER
Below is a list of the known or suspected cancer risk factors. Some of these factors, such as getting older, cannot be avoided. You can reduce your cancer risk by limiting your exposure to certain risk factors.
#Age : Aging is a major risk factor in cancer, both for the overall cancer rate and many cancer types.
#Alcohol Alcohol can increase the risk of cancers of the mouth and throat, as well as of the esophagus (voice box), larynx, liver, breast, and liver. Your risk increases the more you drink. Cancer risk is higher in those who use tobacco and drink alcohol.
#Cancer Causing Substances Cancer results from changes in certain genes, which alter the function of our cells. These genetic changes can occur when DNA is duplicated by cells during cell division. Some genetic changes are caused by environmental factors that cause to be damaged. The exposures can be substances such as chemicals found in tobacco smoke or radiation such as ultraviolet rays.
#Hormones Estrogens are known carcinogens for humans. These hormones play an important physiological role in both males and females. However, they are also associated with an increased cancer risk.
#Obesity Obesity is associated with an increased risk for cancers such as cancers of breast, colon, rectum (lining of uterus), kidney, esophagus and pancreas.
A healthy diet, physical activity, and maintaining a healthy body weight can reduce the risk of certain cancers. The healthy behaviors will also help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes type II, and high blood tension.
