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DNA analysis of thousands of tumors from UK National Health Service (NHS) patients has found an informative “treasure” on the causes of cancer. The study, which is published in «Science», reveals data on genetic mutations that provide a personal history of the damage and repair processes that each patient has gone through.
This is the largest study of its kind led by Serena Nik-Zainal, of the University Hospitals of Cambridge and the University of Cambridge, in which the complete genetic makeup or whole genome sequences of more than 12,000 cancer patients were analyzed .
Thanks to the vast amount of data provided by whole genome sequencing, researchers were able to detect patterns in cancer DNA – or mutational signatures that provide clues as to whether a patient has been exposed in the past to environmental causes related to their tumor, such as smoking or ultraviolet light, or if you have internal cellular dysfunctions.