Summary + short information before reading: Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements. While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they can also have other causes. Over 100 types of cancers affect humans.
Cancer occurs when mutations, or accidental changes, take place in the DNA of specific cells or tissue within the body. These cells then continue to grow excessively, forming a tumour, which then pushes into the surrounding body tissues, and may spread to other parts of the body. If it spreads to the brain, the damage is permanent and often fatal.
The same type of tumour, e.g. a lung tumour, from different patients can have different mutations, and the primary tumour can also have different mutations compared to tumours that have spread to other organs in the same patient. However, understanding exactly where the DNA is mutated could help oncologists to choose more effective therapies for each specific type of cancer.
This is known as precision oncology and would aim to improve treatment efficacy while reducing adverse effects.
Considering the need to understand the genetic mutations within cancer, there has been much research done in this field over the past few years. Some of the biggest breakthroughs include the discovery of both CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced
Personalized medicine will have a profound impact on human health in the future, and although genomics is the driving force behind it, the combination of next-generation sequencing, artificial intelligence, and gene-editing could possibly cure cancer.
Resource: https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2021/02/16/heres-how-biotechnology-is-offering-new-hope-for-personalized-cancer-treatments/
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