The origins of germ cell tumours occurring in pre-pubescent males have been identified by researchers in a new study.
Germ cells undergo differentiation to produce the sperm and unfertilised egg cells in males and females, respectively. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust identified that these tumours originate from genetic events in germ cells during fetal development in the womb.
'Germ-cell tumours affect around 45 children in the UK every year. However, they can also develop at any age. Interestingly, our research found that early development signals, those which you see while a fetus is developing in the womb, can be found in these tumours,' said Dr Sam Behjati, a co-author of the study.
Germ-cell tumours often contain multiple tissue types, including muscular, hair, teeth and placental, and the study revealed that tumours grow these tissues using similar genetic pathways to those undertaken by healthy tissue during fetal development.
Often, the tissue composition found within these tumours can determine how aggressive the tumours behave and thus, can indicate the most suitable treatments.
The study, published in Nature Communications, saw researchers perform DNA and RNA genetic sequencing on all the tissue found within the tumour samples collected from 15 boys and young men, including teenagers and young children under the age of 12.
The resulting DNA and RNA profiles of each tissue tumour sample collected from the young children were observed at 'high resolutions' and exhibited unique 'mutational signatures' not seen in those acquired from the teenagers.
The discovery of these genetic markers aid in selecting which courses of treatment are best suited for teenage cancer patients.
'Clinically, treating teenage and young adult patients can be challenging as they fall between paediatric and adult treatment protocols. It is important to treat them sufficiently but not excessively to avoid long-term side effects, so getting the intensity of the chemotherapy right is important,' said co-author Dr Thomas Oliver.
Furthermore, these findings raise the possibility that new therapies can be designed to treat germ-line cell tumours following this new information regarding the biological pathways used by these tumours to grow.
Sources and References
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Clonal diversification and histogenesis of malignant germ cell tumours
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Origins of germ cell tumours unravelled giving possible opportunities for future treatment
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Origins of germ cell tumours unravelled giving possible opportunities for future treatment
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New germ cell tumor insights may suggest future treatment approaches
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