They say that as a person gets older, he becomes wiser. But based on a new finding, it may also mean being at a higher risk of developing leukemia.
A group of researchers of Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute led by Thomas McKerrell have discovered something gloomy: gene mutation due to aging may eventually lead to leukemia. Leukemia is generally known as the cancer of the blood. According to Leukemia Research Foundation, more than 300,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with it.
For the study, they analyzed a certain sections of the human genome that leukemic cells can alter as the disease progresses. Using a special type of sequencing technology, they were able to identify several genetic mutations in a DNA obtained from less than 2% of a person's blood cells. They then assessed their results using the data of previous studies for comparison.
While pre-cancer cells that can lead to leukemia are actually more prevalent than what we previously believe, these numbers significantly increase as the person ages.
In fact, they found that mutations in two genes, SF3B1 and SRSF2, occur only among those who are at least 70 years old. Mutations of these genes are often linked to the development of myelodysplasia. This isn't a type of leukemia, but the syndrome can mimic some of the signs and symptoms present in the cancer such as severe anemia due to the abnormal production of blood cells.
In the end, the study simply suggests that the longer the person lives, the more chances are there for the genes to mutate. The mutations, on the other hand, may lead to the development of pre-cancer leukemic cells.
On the other hand, the mutation of NPM1 gene is interestingly non-existent in any of the samples. The changes of this gene are believed to cause over 35% of the reported cases of leukemia.
