Publication: Nature

Luiza Moore, Daniel Leongamornlert, Tim H. H. Coorens, Mathijs A. Sanders, Peter Ellis, Stefan Dentro, Kevin Dawson, Tim Butler, Raheleh Rahbari, Thomas J Mitchell, Francesco Maura, Jyoti Nangalia, Patrick S. Tarpey, Simon F. Brunner, Henry Lee-Six, Yvette Hooks, Sarah Moody, Krishnaa Mahbubani, Mercedes Jimenez-Linan, Jan J. Brosens, Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, Inigo Martincorena, Kourosh Saeb-Parsy, Peter J. Campbell, Michael R. Stratton

22 April 2020

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Summary: 

This paper looks at somatic mutation (changes in the DNA) in healthy human tissue in the endometrium (womb lining) and provides insights into the earliest stages of uterine cancer development, which is the fourth most common cancer in women in the UK.

Many cells in the inner lining of the uterus carry ‘cancer-driving’ mutations that frequently arise early in life. Using whole-genome sequencing to better understand the genetic changes in healthy endometrial tissue, the researchers found that a high proportion of cells carry driver mutations, even though they appear completely normal under the microscope. Furthermore the team found that many of these driver mutations appear to have arisen early in life, in many cases during childhood.

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