Epigenetics: A ‘new threshold crossed’ to understand and treat cancer
Scientists have taken another step towards understanding epigenetics’s mysterious role in cancer development.
The latest study by the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK opens the door to essential innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.
Epigenetics is the name of the field that examines which genes are active without changing the DNA sequence in cells, depending on the individual’s behavior and environmental factors. Researchers aim to personalize tests and treatments.
When we think of genetics, we think of DNA codes changing as they are passed down from generation to generation.
That’s why research has mostly looked at how mutations that occur during this process trigger cancer.
In recent years, however, it has become clear that epigenetics also plays an essential role in this field.
Your epigenome changes over the years depending on where and how you live. How the genes are entangled is also crucial in determining how cancers behave.
Gene tests for mutations that increase the likelihood of breast cancer, such as BRCA, only provide information about a person’s susceptibility to the type of cancer examined in that test.
The first paper, published in Nature in two articles, analyzed 1,300 samples from 30 cases of bowel cancer. This research revealed that epigenetic changes are widespread in cancerous cells and that this also contributes to the faster growth of cancerous cells compared to others.
The second paper examined many samples taken from different parts of a tumor. This study also found that the growth of cancer cells is often controlled by factors other than DNA mutations. The researchers added that there is no evidence that epigenetic changes directly alter the behavior of cancers, and more research is needed to show this.