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BBC News is reporting that two of the most common cancer types have now had their genomes fully documented. Now that skin and lung cancer have had their codes identified, the world is working on splitting up the rest of the major cancers. The United Kingdom is working on breast cancer, Japan on liver cancer, and India on oral cancer while China takes stomach cancer and the US takes on brain, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer. The International Cancer Genome Consortium is heading up the project, and expects it to take at least 5 years for all the research to be completed.
The BBC article goes on to discuss some interesting findings, including the fact that skin cancer shows on average about 30,000 errors that are likely caused by sun exposure. Also, lung cancer has about 23,000 errors on average, and, because of the regeneration rate of lung cells, that number goes down over time for those who reduce cigarette smoke exposure. While most of these errors may be innocuous in and of themselves, the scientists must sort through all of them to find out which ones are the triggers that cause unchecked growth.
Once all of these codes are deciphered, scientists can use the information to create more accurate cancer tests and targeted treatments. For example, if there is one section of the genetic code that repeats in all the cancers of a certain type, but isn’t part of the normal human genome, scientists can create synthetic antibodies or drugs that target and destroy or replace that piece of genetic code, helping rendering the cancer impotent. This is all very good news for people suffering from cancer as their treatment options may improve rapidly in the near future.
