The same tumors thousand faces

2012/03/14 Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna
• Genetika
• Medikuntza

In a study on renal tumors, British researchers have found different mutations in different locations of the same tumor. The study was published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine.

The researchers conducted a thorough genetic study of renal tumors in four patients. For this purpose, samples taken from different points of the main tumor and extended metastatic tumors in the body have been analyzed. And they have seen that the diversity within the tumor is very large. For example, in the 14 samples taken from the main tumor, only a third of the mutations found were repeated in all samples, while a quarter of the mutations were shown in a single sample. When analyzing the active genes in the tumor, the results vary according to the sample.

From this data, the evolution of tumors has been known. For example, it was observed that in one case two main lines of the primary tumor were separated, of which the main tumor was developed and the other line generated thoracic secondary tumors. Similar evolutions were observed in the rest of the cases.

The researchers highlighted that this is a research carried out with few cases, but that nevertheless provides an idea of diversity within the tumours. In fact, the study has shown that the unique biopsy of a tumor in many cases is not enough to diagnose. And on the other hand, according to the researchers, this could explain why some treatments stop being effective in a time since they may not be effective against all cells of this tumor.