The nightmare before the new year: what you need to know about cancer
According to the World Health Organization , in 2012 in Europe, the CIS, the Baltic States, Turkey and Israel, cancer was 22% among all causes of death. By the number of deaths, this gloomy record can only be broken by cardiovascular diseases. This terrible statistics is widely known.
The topic of cancer is one of the hottest in science. Cell biologists, genetics, molecular biologists, bioinformatics, and even ecologists are studying this area. Applicants, students of biological and medical faculties, as well as some great scientists still dream of finding a "cure for cancer." The game is on.
The world froze in anticipation of a salutary decision. Scientists have already turned on the CRISPR / Cas9 chainsaw, and are analyzing the DNA of tumors. Here and there, there are new drugs. The more offensive for Oliver Sachs, a well-known neurobiologist and popularizer of science, who died from inoperable or metastatic melanoma just three months before registering an effective drug for this aggressive type of cancer.
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DNA of malignant tumors can be studied at different stages of preventing or treating a disease. Imagine someone who cares about health and knows the history of his family. This man is worried that his maternal grandfather died of colorectal cancer, and his mother has a suspicion of pancreatic cancer. In this case, his father is healthy. Our hero is interested in who made the main contribution to the genetic material associated with the work of his digestive system, and how he planned his life in the long term.
If at this stage our hero makes a special DNA analysis, they will study certain parts of his genome in the laboratory and compare them with typical ones. There are several possible scenarios: in the loci associated with the disease, either mutations or changes that are safe or associated with pathology will be detected. Association with pathology means that a certain number of statistically significant cases of a specific type of cancer are detected in the world's genetic databases when a similar mutation is detected. Oncological diseases are referred to as multifactorial: usually their development is due to simultaneous mutations in different genes. However, in certain types of cancer there are special genes that determine the outcome of the disease for every second case. It is impossible to avoid false-positive or false-negative results. Since all complex biological processes, including carcinogenesis, almost always involve not one gene, but several, the result of the analysis (that is, the conclusion about susceptibility to the disease) is probabilistic in nature.
Selection of DNA loci for analysis is a separate large task, because you need to carefully select fragments reliably associated with the disease. In general, there are quite a lot of studies analyzing associations between mutations and diseases, however, the associations that are often found are false positive . This is connected with the study of the genomes of people of predominantly Caucasians, which seriously hinders making personalized medicine accessible in the near future.
Of course, the forecast based on genetic analysis for mutations looms pessimistic. But it should not be taken as a verdict - let it be the motivation to review your lifestyle. In this case, it is necessary to undergo regular examinations to identify possible pathologies and report the results of the analysis to the doctor. However, it is also necessary to "check" for those who have not found oncogenic mutations.
For example, consider breast cancer. Girls and women whose close relatives have encountered this pathology are required to undergo a study of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer are also recommended for treatment choices. Women aged 40 years and older must be screened and also have a mammogram every year.
A bit of molecular biology to understand what exactly happens when there is a mutation in a gene. For example, take the familiar BRCA1 (short for “breast cancer”). Initially, this is a tumor suppressor gene that synthesizes a protein responsible for repair, i.e. DNA repair If it is impossible to correct chemical damage in the molecules, the BRCA1 genes incorporate other proteins. This is how the process of cell death starts, and the cell with the broken DNA is destroyed. Here's how it works: a woman has two copies of the BRCA1 gene (one from her mother, one from her father), and even if only one of them is functioning, the protein will be produced. It is just that it restores DNA in case of violations. If both copies of the gene are broken, then BRCA1 stops functioning normally and repairing DNA. In this case, the risk of breast cancer is very high.
Now consider the situation when a person’s cancer was not diagnosed. In fact, a cell appeared in the tissue of some organ, which does not develop according to the same program as the others. At the same time, it is not perceived by its own immune cells as a pathology and continues to actively divide. On the one hand, this incomprehensible formation interferes with the normal functioning of the organ. On the other hand, it overgrows with blood vessels, specifically stimulating their growth, and taking the resources of healthy tissues.
An article was published earlier this year that a cancer tumor can be perceived as a separate ecosystem within its own body . Scientists propose a new approach to cancer treatment - the concept of “environmental therapy”. It lies in the fact that the organism is represented as an ecosystem, and the cells interacting with each other and with a cancer tumor - as separate species. In contrast to the traditional vision of antitumor therapy, this method involves influencing all the elements of an “ecosystem”, and not just the use of a “weapon” in relation to cancer cells.
To be honest, to call cancer and lymphoma, and sarcoma is not entirely correct. However, in both cases, really similar processes take place: a group of cells appears that are different from the environment, and under the most unfavorable circumstances begin to migrate and capture new organs. The original cancer (carcinoma) is a malignant neoplasm of the epithelial tissue lining the internal cavities of the organs. In another plane lies oncohematology - diseases associated with blood and lymph cells.
Genotek is investigating susceptibility to 33 cancers . The probability of each of them is assessed according to a certain indicator or a group of markers justified by several publications. Scientists classify cases of diseases in a special way. And, importantly, in medicine there are already effective drugs for some types of cancer: melanoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma and others. Unfortunately, while their use in Russia is not available.
Cancer is treated in several ways. In general, we describe the two most common. Among traditional approaches, surgical treatment is most preferred. If the tumor is operable and the patient's condition allows, then it is sent to the surgeon. Otherwise, chemotherapy is performed — a “cocktail” of cytostatics is poured into the patient through a catheter - substances that interfere with cell division. The logic here is this: in the most important organs of an adult, active growth of cells is no longer observed, and the tumor grows while they divide. If we limit this ability of the cells, we can kill the tumor.
The unpleasant consequences of chemotherapy are the phenomena associated precisely with the need for cell division: hair loss, dying off of the villi of the intestine, skin damage and loss of fertility in men. There are other types of traditional treatment, but their review gives an indelible impression that, even if life is saved, anticancer therapy significantly impairs its quality. Therefore, we would like to focus on the new generation of drugs.
Immunotherapy is an innovative cancer treatment method. The idea behind it is very simple: to counteract the disease with methods of the immune system, by mobilizing your own or synthesizing its likeness. This will allow to deliver the same poisons, but targeted, rather than blowing them all over the bloodstream. With this approach, you need to take some protein from the surface of the tumor cell, then synthesize an antibody that is able to recognize it, and then bind this antibody with a strong poison that would be released during the interaction of protein and antibody. This will reduce the circulation of a poisonous substance in the blood, on the one hand, and increase it in the tumor microenvironment, on the other. Breakthroughs in antitumor therapy of pharmaceutical giants such as Merck, Bayer or Sanofi are associated with the development of drugs aimed at treating individual diseases.
DNA testing allows you to explore genetic markers, that is, to recognize the sequence of genes that are associated with certain types of cancer. Knowing in which part of the gene there is a “breakdown”, one can understand exactly where restoration is required. Moreover, it helps in the selection of specific drugs. There is no need to perform a biopsy - the collection of living tissue, comparable in severity with the operation. In the future, where personalized high-tech medicine won, a person will be able to cure an oncological disease much faster and more effectively. To do this, it will be enough for him to pass a biological sample for analysis and — if an unfavorable diagnosis is confirmed — to obtain a personal pattern-based drug: an antibody against a tumor cell protein associated with the drug.
Final note for readers from Russia. In addition to the harsh statistics of mortality from cancer pathologies, there is an even more sad moment: in our state, the possibilities of using anticancer immunotherapy are severely limited. Therefore, try to limit yourself and loved ones from stress, lead a healthy lifestyle and regularly undergo examination. Oncology at early stages is easily operated and treatable, therefore timely identification of risks and prevention are so important. All the best to you and the upcoming holidays. Your Genotek.
The topic of cancer is one of the hottest in science. Cell biologists, genetics, molecular biologists, bioinformatics, and even ecologists are studying this area. Applicants, students of biological and medical faculties, as well as some great scientists still dream of finding a "cure for cancer." The game is on.
The world froze in anticipation of a salutary decision. Scientists have already turned on the CRISPR / Cas9 chainsaw, and are analyzing the DNA of tumors. Here and there, there are new drugs. The more offensive for Oliver Sachs, a well-known neurobiologist and popularizer of science, who died from inoperable or metastatic melanoma just three months before registering an effective drug for this aggressive type of cancer.
')
The devil in the little things
DNA of malignant tumors can be studied at different stages of preventing or treating a disease. Imagine someone who cares about health and knows the history of his family. This man is worried that his maternal grandfather died of colorectal cancer, and his mother has a suspicion of pancreatic cancer. In this case, his father is healthy. Our hero is interested in who made the main contribution to the genetic material associated with the work of his digestive system, and how he planned his life in the long term.
If at this stage our hero makes a special DNA analysis, they will study certain parts of his genome in the laboratory and compare them with typical ones. There are several possible scenarios: in the loci associated with the disease, either mutations or changes that are safe or associated with pathology will be detected. Association with pathology means that a certain number of statistically significant cases of a specific type of cancer are detected in the world's genetic databases when a similar mutation is detected. Oncological diseases are referred to as multifactorial: usually their development is due to simultaneous mutations in different genes. However, in certain types of cancer there are special genes that determine the outcome of the disease for every second case. It is impossible to avoid false-positive or false-negative results. Since all complex biological processes, including carcinogenesis, almost always involve not one gene, but several, the result of the analysis (that is, the conclusion about susceptibility to the disease) is probabilistic in nature.
Selection of DNA loci for analysis is a separate large task, because you need to carefully select fragments reliably associated with the disease. In general, there are quite a lot of studies analyzing associations between mutations and diseases, however, the associations that are often found are false positive . This is connected with the study of the genomes of people of predominantly Caucasians, which seriously hinders making personalized medicine accessible in the near future.
Of course, the forecast based on genetic analysis for mutations looms pessimistic. But it should not be taken as a verdict - let it be the motivation to review your lifestyle. In this case, it is necessary to undergo regular examinations to identify possible pathologies and report the results of the analysis to the doctor. However, it is also necessary to "check" for those who have not found oncogenic mutations.
Attention to the female breast
For example, consider breast cancer. Girls and women whose close relatives have encountered this pathology are required to undergo a study of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer are also recommended for treatment choices. Women aged 40 years and older must be screened and also have a mammogram every year.
A bit of molecular biology to understand what exactly happens when there is a mutation in a gene. For example, take the familiar BRCA1 (short for “breast cancer”). Initially, this is a tumor suppressor gene that synthesizes a protein responsible for repair, i.e. DNA repair If it is impossible to correct chemical damage in the molecules, the BRCA1 genes incorporate other proteins. This is how the process of cell death starts, and the cell with the broken DNA is destroyed. Here's how it works: a woman has two copies of the BRCA1 gene (one from her mother, one from her father), and even if only one of them is functioning, the protein will be produced. It is just that it restores DNA in case of violations. If both copies of the gene are broken, then BRCA1 stops functioning normally and repairing DNA. In this case, the risk of breast cancer is very high.
Look deeper
Now consider the situation when a person’s cancer was not diagnosed. In fact, a cell appeared in the tissue of some organ, which does not develop according to the same program as the others. At the same time, it is not perceived by its own immune cells as a pathology and continues to actively divide. On the one hand, this incomprehensible formation interferes with the normal functioning of the organ. On the other hand, it overgrows with blood vessels, specifically stimulating their growth, and taking the resources of healthy tissues.
An article was published earlier this year that a cancer tumor can be perceived as a separate ecosystem within its own body . Scientists propose a new approach to cancer treatment - the concept of “environmental therapy”. It lies in the fact that the organism is represented as an ecosystem, and the cells interacting with each other and with a cancer tumor - as separate species. In contrast to the traditional vision of antitumor therapy, this method involves influencing all the elements of an “ecosystem”, and not just the use of a “weapon” in relation to cancer cells.
Multiply entities as needed
To be honest, to call cancer and lymphoma, and sarcoma is not entirely correct. However, in both cases, really similar processes take place: a group of cells appears that are different from the environment, and under the most unfavorable circumstances begin to migrate and capture new organs. The original cancer (carcinoma) is a malignant neoplasm of the epithelial tissue lining the internal cavities of the organs. In another plane lies oncohematology - diseases associated with blood and lymph cells.
Genotek is investigating susceptibility to 33 cancers . The probability of each of them is assessed according to a certain indicator or a group of markers justified by several publications. Scientists classify cases of diseases in a special way. And, importantly, in medicine there are already effective drugs for some types of cancer: melanoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma and others. Unfortunately, while their use in Russia is not available.
Catharsis against cancer
Cancer is treated in several ways. In general, we describe the two most common. Among traditional approaches, surgical treatment is most preferred. If the tumor is operable and the patient's condition allows, then it is sent to the surgeon. Otherwise, chemotherapy is performed — a “cocktail” of cytostatics is poured into the patient through a catheter - substances that interfere with cell division. The logic here is this: in the most important organs of an adult, active growth of cells is no longer observed, and the tumor grows while they divide. If we limit this ability of the cells, we can kill the tumor.
The unpleasant consequences of chemotherapy are the phenomena associated precisely with the need for cell division: hair loss, dying off of the villi of the intestine, skin damage and loss of fertility in men. There are other types of traditional treatment, but their review gives an indelible impression that, even if life is saved, anticancer therapy significantly impairs its quality. Therefore, we would like to focus on the new generation of drugs.
24/7 poison delivery
Immunotherapy is an innovative cancer treatment method. The idea behind it is very simple: to counteract the disease with methods of the immune system, by mobilizing your own or synthesizing its likeness. This will allow to deliver the same poisons, but targeted, rather than blowing them all over the bloodstream. With this approach, you need to take some protein from the surface of the tumor cell, then synthesize an antibody that is able to recognize it, and then bind this antibody with a strong poison that would be released during the interaction of protein and antibody. This will reduce the circulation of a poisonous substance in the blood, on the one hand, and increase it in the tumor microenvironment, on the other. Breakthroughs in antitumor therapy of pharmaceutical giants such as Merck, Bayer or Sanofi are associated with the development of drugs aimed at treating individual diseases.
Back to the DNA
DNA testing allows you to explore genetic markers, that is, to recognize the sequence of genes that are associated with certain types of cancer. Knowing in which part of the gene there is a “breakdown”, one can understand exactly where restoration is required. Moreover, it helps in the selection of specific drugs. There is no need to perform a biopsy - the collection of living tissue, comparable in severity with the operation. In the future, where personalized high-tech medicine won, a person will be able to cure an oncological disease much faster and more effectively. To do this, it will be enough for him to pass a biological sample for analysis and — if an unfavorable diagnosis is confirmed — to obtain a personal pattern-based drug: an antibody against a tumor cell protein associated with the drug.
Final note for readers from Russia. In addition to the harsh statistics of mortality from cancer pathologies, there is an even more sad moment: in our state, the possibilities of using anticancer immunotherapy are severely limited. Therefore, try to limit yourself and loved ones from stress, lead a healthy lifestyle and regularly undergo examination. Oncology at early stages is easily operated and treatable, therefore timely identification of risks and prevention are so important. All the best to you and the upcoming holidays. Your Genotek.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/400147/
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