Context: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, mainly because it gets detected late. A team of Indian researchers has uncovered a genetic cause for the early relapse of a certain type of lung cancer in some patients.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Applications of genetic sequencing. Here- Identification of disease causing genes/mutated genes.
Lung Cancer
- Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer, affecting both smokers and non-smokers.
- India’s Lung Cancer Burden (WHO 2022 Data):
- New Cases: 81,748
- Deaths: 75,031
Major Highlights:
- Patients with Lung adenocarcinoma carry a specific mutation in the Epidermal Growth Receptor Factor (EGFR) gene.
- They are treated with targeted drugs called “EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors” that suppress the unusual growth of the cancerous cells.
- However, cancer eventually relapses in some patients owing to resistance to these therapies.
- Latest Research: When mutation in Tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) co-occurs along with EGFR mutation, it is associated with early relapse of cancer.
- The researchers performed detailed genetic sequencing on tumor samples.
- They identified a group of 17 TSGs, a mutation in which results in resistance to EGFR-targeted treatments. This causes a relapse of cancer and lower survival rates.
Significance:
- The identification of the associated TSGs (genes) will help detect TSG mutations early in patients, and thus treatments can be tailored effectively. This can help delay or even prevent early relapse of lung cancer.