A team of international researchers led by the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK have found two regions of the human genome linked to increased risk for the most common form of childhood kidney cancer, Wilms tumor. Scientists have suspected a genetic role in the rare disease because it can occur in siblings and twins. The ICR team analyzed DNA variants from Wilms tumor patients as well as healthy people in the UK and America. They noted that the two regions they identified have been linked to other diseases and cancers. Learning more about how these regions are involved in Wilms tumor should lead to better understanding of the disease and improved treatments in the future.
Source:
Scientists Find DNA Variants Linked to Childhood Cancer, The Institute of Cancer Research, April 29, 2012