Study: Bad cell copies lead to most types of cancer

If you trust any camera, you know what happens when it fails. Whether you’re running low on toner, paper jams, or turning your original into something like an accordion, the results can ruin your work product. On a more important scale, similar malfunctions occur in the human body, which is responsible for producing billions of replicas of new cells every day. With so many copies made at once, it’s possible that something can go wrong. When you do this, cancer can form. In fact, according to a new study, this is often the case.

“We’re not perfect,” says Dr. David Boyd, an admissions physician at our hospital near Phoenix. “We are living beings and things don’t always go according to plan. We know what our molecules are supposed to look like, but they don’t always go that way.” As part of mitosis, a life-sustaining and regenerating process of skin cells, tissues, organs, and other materials, all cells in the body make two copies of themselves. A new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine concludes that replication errors in this process may be responsible for more than 60 percent of all cancers. “Every time a normal cell divides and copies its DNA to make two new cells, it makes many mistakes,” said study co-author Christian Tomasetti of Johns Hopkins University. axis, aJohns Hopkins University Blog. “These transcription errors are a powerful source of cancer mutations that have been scientifically undervalued throughout history.”

Random errors, lifestyle and genetics.

The study, which examined 32 types of cancer, concluded that:

• The majority (77 percent) of pancreatic cancer cases are caused by random errors in cell proliferation. The rest can be attributed to environmental or genetic factors.
• Almost all cases of prostate, brain, or bone cancer (95 percent) are associated with errors in cell transcription.
• Most cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking. Only about 35 percent of lung cancers are attributed to errors in cell proliferation.
• Sixty-six percent of all cancer-related mutations are associated with errors of transcription; 29 percent are attributable to environmental or lifestyle factors; 5 percent is caused by genetics.

“This falls into the category of life where things just happen and you have no explanation,” says Dr. Boyd. “We definitely have patients who do all the right things. They eat right. They exercise. They ate organic matter before organic became common language, and yet they ended up getting cancer. It is common for people, when diagnosed, to want to look to find out. What they did wrong. But sometimes, you look for a reason and it just isn’t there.”

Repair damaged copies

Just because a cell spits out the wrong copy doesn’t mean it causes cancer. Most bad, irreparable cells kill themselves. But first, the body works to fix it. One of the ways cells control damage is by a protein called poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). This enzyme acts as a cell building manager and directs genetic repair teams to repair damaged DNA. “We are amazing beings, and we have a vetting system that detects these problems. And it fixes about 99 percent of them. That’s usually good enough for normal cell function,” says Dr. Boyd.

Aside from random mutations, genes, and cell replication errors, there are a number of steps people can take to help prevent cancer, says Dr. Boyd. “You don’t want to max out,” he says. “You don’t want to have outside factors that can increase your chances. It’s another reason to do all the right things: eat right, exercise, reduce stress, see your doctor regularly, wear sunscreen, and have safe sex.” Dr. Bert Vogelstein, co-author of the Johns Hopkins study and co-director of the Ludwig Center at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, says cancer prevention must remain a focus, but adds that his research underscores the need to improve early detection. “We need to continue to encourage people to avoid environmental factors and lifestyles that increase the risk of developing cancerous mutations,” he said. the hub. “However, many people will go on to develop cancers because of these random errors in DNA copying, and better methods are urgently needed to detect all cancers early, while still being curable.”