Cancer’s
Complexities
in the Brain
and Pancreas
Genomic analyses uncover
dozens of mutations in
each patient’s tumor
OPPOSITE PaGE: © JIM CraIGMylE / COrbIS; THIS PaGE: © STEVE GSCHMEISSNEr / PHOTO rESEarCHErS INC.
beth a. Jones, a cancer
epidemiologist at the yale School
of Public Health in New Haven,
Conn., agrees that underreporting
plagues these types of analyses.
but Jones, who studies racial
disparities in cancer screening,
says that perceived medical
discrimination may play a relatively
small role in the inequalities
associated with cancer screening.
“Clearly this is a piece of that
puzzle,” she says, “but there are
many factors that contribute to the
disadvantage.”
and more than screening is
responsible for the racial and
ethnic disparities in cancer
incidence and mortality rates,
adds brenner. Inequalities persist
beyond screening, affecting
patients’ follow-up for an
abnormal result, treatment for a
diagnosed tumor, and monitoring
for recurrence. “We ought to talk
about fundamental health care
reform,” she says. “We need to
make sure everyone has access to
care that is culturally relevant to
them.”
a trio of studies last fall has
produced the first drafts of maps
that comprehensively detail what
goes genetically wrong in two of
the deadliest cancers: brain and
pancreatic tumors.
In addition to cataloging
previously known major DNa
glitches, the genome analyses
turned up hundreds of other rare
mutations. On average, a tumor
carried just dozens of genetic
abnormalities, but the pattern
of defects was unique from one
patient to another.
The data will help direct drug
developers to the best targets
for attacking tumors, the studies’
authors say. However, some of
the scientists point out that
the findings also highlight the
challenges of creating personalized
therapeutic cocktails if every
person’s cancer is distinctive.
While the new information will
not yield any immediate changes
in treatment, “we’re finally
getting the tools in hand to deal
with the complexity of what is
really happening in the cancer
genome,” says Stanley F. Nelson,
a cancer genetics investigator at
the university of California, los
angeles, who was not involved in
the three studies.
—Jocelyn Rice
CR | Page No. 11 | www.CRmagazine.org
Pancreatic cancer cell
