The cause of cancer is still being determined by medical practitioners. While there has been much advancement in cancer treatment, finding a definitive cure for cancer is still being sought. Knowing if chromosome number determines the likelihood of cancer could be an important step.
Having too many or too dew chromosomes have great effects on a person. As early as 1902 Theodor Boveri has observed that sea urchin eggs that have incorrect chromosome count would soon have defects in them. He then concluded that having an incorrect number of chromosomes could possibly lead to cancer development.
Taking that study further would be the next step towards cancer treatment. Jason Sheltzer, Ph.D. and his colleagues at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and at MIT have made experiments to see the effects of having too many or too few chromosomes. Through careful observations, Sheltzer has said that Boveri's conclusions then have been correct in determining that an incorrect number of chromosomes could lead to cancer growth.
Sheltzer's research first began in the laboratory of Dr. Angelika Amon at MIT, according to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's site. This would then continue at CSHL. For the experiment, two dishes of identical cells have been used. One set has the proper number of chromosomes in them. The other set of cells have an extra chromosome in it.
The cells that have an extra chromosome grew more slowly. This is despite that both sets have cancer-promoting genes in them, as Science Daily reports. The cells that had an extra chromosome began to produce tumors on rodents that have been injected with it.
As more experiments have been done, the conclusion is that cells that have an extra chromosome help to promote pro-cancer features. The cells had much instability, with some losing the extra chromosome but then acquiring new ones as well. The growth of the cells have allowed them to mutate as a means of survival. This could allow cancer cells to begin tumor growth in other areas.
As cancer treatment goes on, new ways are being found in order to fight it. It has been observed that chromosome number determines the likelihood of cancer. Another potential cancer treatment is being studied with a gene that can check the spread of cancer.
