Latest study made by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center may explain why cancers are so difficult to treat. According to their research, more than 2,000 genetic variations can appear in just one tumor, so current methods of performing biopsies may not be enough.
In an effort to understand the behavior of tumors better, researchers decided to analyze esophageal cancer in order to obtain the preliminary results. This particular cancer is deadly, as only 20 percent of those affected by it live more than 5 years after being diagnosed.
Tumors And Genetic Mutations
Researchers collected 51 tumor samples from 13 patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer and analyzed it using some high-powered computers. The scientists were interested in both their genes and the processes, specifically called epigenetics.
The results were surprising — 2,178 different genetic variations were identified in the samples. The discoveries did not stop here, it was also observed that some particular genetic variations only appeared in certain areas of the tumor making it hard to detect during regular, which usually involve taking samples from just one area.
This research is the first one to lead to a rather more global understanding of the tumors. Not only their structure was analyzed, but so was their progression in time. It is clear now that tumors are even more complex than expected, being described by some specialists as actually being the results of a series of diseases that affect an individual over time.
Tumors contain millions of cells, and parts of it can be quite different from one another. The study results have many implications for the treatment and detection of cancers in improving patient care, as stated by H. Phillip Koeffler, MD, one of the authors of the research.
"Evidence suggests that tumor heterogeneity is one of the major causes of drug resistance and treatment failure in cancer. In light of this situation, deciphering the genomic diversity and evolution of tumors can provide a basis for identifying new targets and designing personalized medicine strategies," noted Koeffler.
A Serious Situation
As a result, scientists are now interested in performing similar analyses on different types of tumors to see if the results are similar. If so, the genetic variances will be used to create even better medicines, which will be better suited to combat drug resistance, one of the biggest problems affecting patients at present.
