Gene Associated with Aging Linked to Common Type of Blood Cancer

Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, have found that a gene that controls aging by regulating the internal clock is also associated with increasing risk of a common type of blood cancer called myeloma.

Myeloma is a type of cancer that begins in the bone marrow. About 22,350 cases of the cancer are estimated to occur in 2013.The cancer affects bones in many parts of the body and is extremely painful. There is no known cure and about 30 percent of patients die within a year of diagnosis. 

Earlier research on the subject had shown that three genetic variants in DNA could lead to higher myeloma risk. The four genetic variants are located near genes that are known to be linked with myeloma development.

The gene- TERC- regulates the function of telomere caps on the ends of DNA. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect genetic information on the chromosomes.  Length of telomere determines cell aging. Sometimes, a genetic variation can enable the cells to ignore ageing signals and keep dividing.

The study included genetic analysis of over 4,600 people who were diagnosed with myeloma along with nearly 11,000 people who didn't have the cancer.

If further research confirms the role of TERC then therapeutics could be designed to target this variant.

"Our study has taken an important step forward in understanding the genetics of myeloma, and suggested an intriguing potential link with a gene that acts as a cell's internal timer," said  Professor Richard Houlston, Professor of Molecular and Population Genetics at The Institute of Cancer Research.

"We know cancer often seems to ignore the usual controls over ageing and cell death, and it will be fascinating to explore whether in blood cancers that is a result of a direct genetic link. Eventually, understanding the complex genetics of blood cancers should allow us to assess a person's risk or identify new avenues for treatment," Houlston added in a news release.

The study is published in the journal Nature Genetics.