“Study reveals which DNA errors increase the risk of blood cancer and other diseases in older adults”

Of all people over the age of 60, 40% have 1 or more errors in the DNA of their blood cells, which are associated with leukaemia. Yet very few people actually develop the disease. In Cancer Cell researchers from Radboudumc, UMCG and IKNL show exactly which errors or combinations of errors increase the risk of cancer.

A team of researchers, including Joop Jansen and Aniek de Graaf from Radboudumc, and Gerwin Huls and Isabelle van Zeventer from UMC Groningen, wanted to know when blood cells with errors turn into tumor cells.

They analyzed the DNA of more than 7000 blood samples from 3359 people over the age of 60 from the Groningen Lifelines cohort. 2 or 3 samples were available from the participants, so that the researchers could follow the development of the blood cells with errors.

The study shows that the presence of groups of cells with errors increases the risk of leukemia. These cells are also a risk factor for inflammatory diseases that are common with aging, such as cardiovascular disease and COPD. The researchers show exactly which DNA errors cause the fastest growth of blood cells and the highest risk of blood cancer, such as an error in the JAK2-gen.

Bron:

Radboudumc