Bowel cancer cells missing one of three genes can rapidly reshuffle their genetic ‘pack of cards’ – the chromosomes that hold the cell’s genetic information.
This reshuffling has been previously shown to render tumours more resistant to treatment.
Professor Nic Jones, Cancer Research UK’s chief scientist, said: “This region of chromosome 18 is lost in many cancers, suggesting this process is not just seen in bowel cancers.
By understanding how cancer cheats at life’s card-game, we can see how an individual person’s cancer can be so complex and varied.
Scientists can now start looking for ways to prevent this happening in the first place or turning this instability against cancers.”
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