Men may have higher rates of bowel cancer because of a female genetic fault, research suggests.
Scientists identified an alteration on the female X chromosome, one of the packages of DNA that determine gender, associated with bowel cancer.
The fault appears to be involved in the development of cancer in both men and women. But it may have a bigger effect in men, say the researchers.
Professor Richard Houlston, one of the scientists from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: “To our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has shown that one of the sex chromosomes is involved in the development of a cancer that can afflict both sexes. This may help explain why bowel cancer is slightly more common in men. Ultimately, it could help us target screening to those who are more at risk of the disease.”
The study, reported in the journal Nature Genetics, also uncovered two other genetic risk variants for bowel cancer, bringing the known total to 20.
The scientists analysed data from five international studies looking for single-letter changes in the genetic code (single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) linked to bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK affecting 41,000 men and women each year.
Dr Lesley Walker, from Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said: “This research shows how a range of genes could be behaving in bowel cancer, potentially leading to new treatments for the disease.”
No comments:
Post a Comment