Scientists report today in the journal Nature that the genetic codes of two of the most commons cancers – skin and lung – have been sequenced in their entirety. It was found that melanoma skin cancer contains more than 30,000 DNA errors, mostly due to sun exposure. Lung cancer contains more than 23,000 gene errors largely as a result of cigarette smoking. The identification of these genetic errors will allow us to develop new drugs which can potentially target each of these site specifically. As well it’s conceivable that blood tests can be developed to detect DNA patterns which are unique to each type of cancer. This landmark accomplishment is the first step in the effort lead by the International Cancer Genome Consortium to catalogue all the major cancer types. Scientists in Japan are working on decoding the sequence for liver cancer, India on mouth, UK on breast, China on stomach, and the US on brain, ovary, and pancreas. [via BBC]
Share your comments here.
Follow us on Twitter
Become a fan on Facebook
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.