Cambridge study: inherited genetics shape why the same DNA damage causes cancer in some people but not others
A University of Cambridge-led study found that inherited genetics steer how cancer develops after DNA damage from things like smoking or UV rays. Researchers exposed four genetically distinct mouse strains to the same carcinogen and sequenced almost 600 tumors to trace how each o
A University of Cambridge-led study, published in Nature, provides the first direct evidence that inherited genetics shape how cancer begins and evolves after DNA damage. Scientists bred four genetically distinct mouse strains and exposed them all to the same dose of a carcinogen found in tobacco smoke, then sequenced almost 600 tumors. While nearly every tumor activated the same cancer-driving signaling pathway, which additional pathways switched on, and whether whole genomes duplicated, depended entirely on each strain's inherited genetic background. The findings suggest future cancer screening and even drug response may need to account for a patient's genetics, not just their environment.