April 18, 2024

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Why do some people have a high risk of cancer?

Why do some people have a high risk of cancer?



 

Why do some people have a high risk of cancer?This gene mutation may be the “culprit.” 

 

Recently, the American popular science news website Sciencedaily published an article saying that even if genetic, smoking and other factors are excluded, the cancer rate of humans is much higher than that of our closest evolutionary cousin, the chimpanzee, which may be related to It is related to a certain mutant gene in human evolution.

 

Ajit Varki, MD, Distinguished Professor of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Morse Cancer Center, explained that in the process of human evolution, the SIGLEC12 gene has been mutated, causing the Siglec-12 protein, which is part of the immune system, to lose its original Function.

 

Usually, over time, the genes encoding such dysfunctional proteins will be eliminated by the body, and currently about two-thirds of the world’s population has stopped synthesizing Siglec-12 protein.

The remaining one-third of people may not be so lucky. In a comparative study of normal tissue samples and cancerous tissue samples, researchers found that people who still synthesize abnormal Siglec-12 protein in their bodies suffer from advanced cancer.

The risk is more than twice that of people who do not synthesize the protein.

 

Nissi Varki, MD, professor of pathology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said that when his team was studying non-cancerous tissue samples from a certain population, about 30% of the samples were positive for Siglec-12 antibodies, and they were from the same population in advanced stages.

When cancer samples were tested for Siglec-12 antibody, almost all samples were positive.

In addition, the researchers also found that more than 80% of patients with advanced colorectal cancer still have the SIGLEC-12 gene, and the condition of patients with this gene tends to be more serious than those without the gene.

These experimental data all show that Siglec-12 protein is highly correlated with advanced cancer.

 

Although the presence of the Siglec-12 protein may induce cancer to develop in the middle and late stages, we can also use this feature for future cancer diagnosis and treatment. Ajit Varki said: “We may be able to use antibodies against the Siglec-12 protein in the future to provide targeted therapy for tumor cells without harming other non-cancer cells.”

 

 

 

 

Why do some people have a high risk of cancer?

(source:internet, reference only)


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