Genetic markings could identify cancer before it develops

According to the new research conducted by Queen Mary University of London and published in journal Cancer identified that the unique DNA markings on certain genes may predict the risk of developing head and neck cancer in a later stage. During this study scientists analyzed the clinical specimens of malignant tissue from 93 cancer patients in Norway and the UK. After that these were compared with the tissues donated by the healthy individuals undergoing wisdom tooth extractions, or with non-cancerous tissue from the similar patient. Through this they found out the gene that could identify the cancer. The lead researcher Dr Muy Teck-Teh, from the Institute of Dentistry at Queen Mary, said, “In this study we have identified four genes which were either over or under-expressed in head and neck cancer. The expression of these genes was inversely correlated with particular DNA methylation marks, suggesting the genes are epigenetically modified in these cancers.”