In a new study, scientists found that despite having identical genetic mutations, colorectal cancer cells behaved as differently as if they were genetic strangers. The findings challenge the prevailing view that genes determine how individual cells in a solid tumour behave, including how they respond to chemotherapy and how actively they propagate. If DNA is not the sole driver of tumours’ behaviour, said molecular geneticist John Dick of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, who led the study, it suggests that, to vanquish a cancer entirely, drugs will have to target their non-genetic traits too, something few drug-discovery teams are doing. Read more here.
Study mentioned: Kreso A, et al. Variable clonal repopulation dynamics influence chemotherapy response in colorectal cancer. Science. Published online 13 December 2012.
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