Important Discovery

Last week, researchers from the British Columbia Cancer Agency (You go, Canada!) announced a very important breakthrough in lymphoma research. A description can be found here, but I'll do my best to explain.

Cancer researchers have been focusing for a while on genetics, and the mapping of the human genome a few years ago has made this kind of research much easier. It's important because once researchers understand which genes are mutated, they can target treatments toward specific cancer cells and leave other healthy cells alone.

The researchers found that genes from cells for two types of lymphoma (Follicular, the most common indolent lymphoma, and Diffuse Large B-Cell, the most common type of aggressive lymphoma) both have the same gene mutation. They found the mutation in a gene that is labeled EZH2.

Apparently, gene mutations are usually found in lots of different genes. No one had noticed before that this particular gene has been involved in lymphoma (though it has been implicated in breast cancer and prostate cancer), or that the exact same gene is involved in so many patients.

The upside is that this may lead to new and improved, targeted treatments for fNHL. The discovery itself is major news. Not much more to say, other than "We found it!" And, of course, there won't be any new treatments in the very near future. But given what researchers have been able to develop from similar discoveries, it's a cause for optimism.