01 Jul , 18:35
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Scientists revealed the secret of chemotherapy's impact on genes: some drugs cause mutations and accelerate aging of blood cells
An international group of researchers has conducted the first systematic analysis of the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs on the genetic material of healthy tissues. The results of the study, published in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics, showed that many, but not all chemotherapy drugs provoke mutations and premature aging of blood cells.
During the large-scale study, scientists examined the genomes of blood cells from 23 patients undergoing various courses of chemotherapy. The data obtained is shocking: in a three-year-old child treated for neuroblastoma, the number of mutations in the blood exceeded the indicators of healthy 80-year-olds who had never undergone chemotherapy.
Researchers discovered new "mutational signatures" for various drugs, including four previously unknown ones. Particularly interesting was the fact that drugs of the same class can have different effects: carboplatin and cisplatin (platinum-based drugs) caused many mutations, while oxaliplatin from the same class did not demonstrate a similar effect.
In addition, scientists found that chemotherapy accelerates the aging of the blood stem cell population. This effect is especially pronounced in children and may increase the likelihood of developing secondary oncological diseases in the future.
"For the first time, we have obtained a systematic understanding of the genetic effects of chemotherapy on healthy tissues, in this case - on blood. This lays the foundation for further research on the effects of chemotherapy drugs on other organs and will help optimize treatment to minimize harm," noted the lead author of the work, Dr. Emily Mitchell.
Scientists place great hope that in the future, genomic analysis will become a key tool for doctors when choosing chemotherapy regimens that provide maximum effectiveness with minimal damage to healthy tissues.
