statistical genetics analysis can detect the aggressive lymphoma

statistical genetics analysis can detect the aggressive lymphoma -

Each year more than a thousand Norwegians develop lymphoma. A statistical genetic analysis can detect when the disease is aggressive. Thus, treatment may be initiated in time.

Lymphoma afflicts over 1,000 Norwegians per year. Most patients are young. A new statistical method developed at the University of Oslo in Norway now allows doctors to determine at an early stage of the disease process which will develop an aggressive variant, when it occurs and escape.

The new statistical method will be able to determine who will need a bone marrow transplant and who can be spared the extreme burden this atrocious treatment involves.

results were recently published in the blood, a top-of-the-line Journal for hematologists.

many different types of lymphoma

lymphoma can be divided into 60 sub-groups. The forecasts are unpredictable. Some no recurrence, while in others the disease recurs quickly. Some patients with repeated recurrences.

The survival of patients vary greatly. Some patients die within a year or two, while others survive for twenty to thirty years. Those who survive suffer many symptoms. In addition, treatment can have major adverse effects

The two main groups of lymphoma are Hodgkin, which mainly affects young -. With about 130 cases per year - and non-Hodgkin's, with a little less than 1,000 cases each year.

In the group that develops non-Hodgkin's, 15 percent are achieved by the T cell cancer and 85 percent by cancer B cells T cells and B cells are both part of the system adaptive immune defense. B and T lymphocytes eliminate intruder in different ways. T cells attack the bacteria and viruses in particular. B cells produce antibodies that in turn intruder attack.

Therefore, it is extremely damaging when cancer disables certain parts of the immune defense system.

aggressive variant

Professors Erlend Smeland and Harald Holte at the Cancer Research Institute, UiO, and the Oncology Department of the Oslo University Hospital are among the specialists the most important country in the cell lymphoma B. This is the largest group of lymphoma, which affects more than 800 Norwegians every year.

This form of cancer can be divided into aggressive and indolent variant. The indolent form can develop very slowly without significant patient discomfort, but it can gradually change the character and turn more aggressive. Where appropriate, the prognosis deteriorates. The change to the aggressive variant is called transformation. The question is: who will develop this transformation and will be spared

Three percent develop this transformation in a year .. This means that, after fifteen years, half of all concerned will be developed the transformation.

Predicting who will become sick

With Marianne Brodtkorb, a doctor at the Institute of Cancer Research and Ole Christian Lingjaerde, professor and head of biomedical bioinformatics research group at the Institute of computer, researchers have discovered a new method that can predict at an early stage of the disease will relapse and recidivism when displayed.

"the point is to be able to tailor treatment and stifle cancer in the bud, or delay or at best to avoid the heaviest treatment for those who are not risk. Thus, many may have a milder form of treatment they have today, "says Harald Holte.

to succeed, researchers need to find the genetic fingerprint of the different variants of cancer . it was a daunting task.

Historic Material

the only way to do that was to examine all the tissue samples frozen costs of diagnostic biobank the Norwegian Radium hospital back in 1970 Norway is one of the few countries in the world where tissue samples of all patients with cancer were recorded. As part of the biopsy were frozen, the genetic material remains intact.

the researchers compared the genetic fingerprint with the evolution of the disease in all patients, such as how the disease developed when the aggressive variant occurred, namely the transformation, and for how long the patient survived.

"We found genetic markers that predict the early stage of the disease the patient how to behave and how the course of the disease will develop," Erlend Smeland highlights the Apollo Research magazine.

found the most important genes

the researchers detected a total of 700 amendments to both DNA and RNA. RNA is the active component of DNA.

Brodtkorb Marianne, who recently received his doctoral degree, a survey of these 700 genes functioned the same way. They found 14 genes that have the same function. Subsequently, she only studied these markers.

"This demonstrated for the first time that these 14 genes are associated with the transformation. These genes are known in other forms of lymphoma, but they still have not been associated with this type of lymphoma. With this new knowledge, we can now test known methods of treatment for this disease, "says Brodtkorb.

Furthermore, they identified the range of genes that fluctuate in unison with the 14 genes. These genes enhance the effects of the disease.

"in fact, this means a range of 30 to 50 genes for each of the 14 genes. These genes ranges are unrelated to the first 700 changes were detected. "

new statistics

to compare the DNA of several thousand samples, Ole Christian Lingjaerde developed completely new statistical methods.

" We need use fairly sophisticated statistical methods to detect the genetic signature that allows us to predict if and when cancer will enter aversive "said Lingjaerde.