Global Team Of Scientists Identifies Key Genetic Risk Variants For Blood Cancers Known As Lymphomas

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BlankGlobal Team Of Scientists Identifies Key Genetic Risk Variants For Blood

Cancers Known As Lymphomas

21 Apr 2011

An international team of scientists, epidemiologists and clinicians from

Singapore, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Australia and USA have identified key

genetic risk variants that signal the likelihood of developing blood cancers

known as follicular lymphoma. Follicular lymphoma is a member of the group of

blood cancers known as non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) or a collection of diverse

blood cancers known as lymphomas. In Singapore, lymphomas are the eighth most

common among men and the third most common cancer among children and young

adults in Singapore[1]; over the period 2003-2007, there were over 2000 affected

Singaporeans The breakthrough, published in the journal PloS Genetics, is likely

to advance the study and development of new therapeutics for NHL.

A genome-wide association study involving more than 12,000 participants, Drs

Jianjun Liu and Jia Nee Foo from the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), in

collaboration with Drs Karin Ekström Smedby and Humphreys from the

Karolinska Institutet (KI), were able to confirm the existence of a previously

reported genetic risk variant in the human leukocyte antigen[2] (HLA) region

that signals for an increased risk of contracting follicular lymphoma. This same

DNA sequence variant also appears to signal for an increased predisposition to

contracting diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, another subtype of NHL, suggesting

that there may be shared risk factors among distinct NHL subtypes. Surprisingly,

the researchers also identified a second DNA sequence variant close to the first

one that signals for increased protection against follicular lymphoma.

Understanding the complex and subtle changes in the DNA sequence of the HLA

region that influence disease risk will lead to a better knowledge of how the

human immune system reacts to foreign and cancerous cells. This could facilitate

the development of drugs and treatments against lymphomas.

[1] According to the National Cancer Centre Singapore's page on Lymphoma Cancer:

http://www.nccs.com.sg/pat/08_05_Lymphoma.htm

[2] A collection of human genes on chromosome 6 that encode proteins that

function in cells to transport antigens from within the cell to the cell

surface.

Source

Genome Institute of Singapore

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/223091.php