Researchers have identified various genes that cause melanoma and also novel epigenetic markers of the disease that may herald new treatments for patients.
Two studies, published online in Nature Genetics (10.1038/ng.410 and 10.1038/ng.411), and conducted by investigators at Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia, King's College London and the University of Leeds, have revealed novel genes implicated in the development of melanoma. One study found that specific changes in two genes, MTAP and PLA2G6, were found to make people more susceptible to developing nevi. In a further 4,000 people, the researchers went on to show that these genes increased the risk of developing melanoma; specifically, those who carry one of the two SNPs have a 25 per cent increased chance of developing melanoma, while for individuals carrying both variants, the risk is doubled.
The second study identified five loci with genotyped or imputed SNPs reaching very high significance. The analysis showed that the genes, MC1R and TYR, are associated with pigmentation, freckling and cutaneous sun sensitivity.
Separately, researchers from Yale University have mapped chemical modifications of DNA in the melanoma genome, finding new markers that will help to develop more effective treatment strategies to fight this disease. In this work, published online in Genome Research (10.1101/gr.091447.109), scientists found 76 promoters with altered methylation patterns in melanomas, most of these showing increased methylation compared to normal. The team focused on five genes in particular, three of which had not been implicated in melanoma until now. The scientists are hopeful that these epigenetic markers may provide a better method for determining the aggressiveness of the disease and for setting a course of treatment.
The incidence of melanoma has been increasing over the past decades. Currently, approximately 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year and around 48,000 people worldwide die of melanoma annually. One in every three cancers diagnosed is a skin cancer and, according to Skin Cancer Foundation Statistics, one in every five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Melanoma is diagnosed in more than 50,000 new patients in the US annually.
While the rate of incidences continues to rise, survival rate has not improved and the race is on to find the genetic and cellular changes driving melanoma and to devise new means of detection and treatment.
Alice Rossiter - Cancer Drug News Editor
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment