Smokers with myelodysplastic syndromes or a precursor condition had elevated levels of genetic mutations linked to the disease, a new study shows. The study also found that heavier smokers accumulated more mutations, and long-term smokers were more likely to show disease progression.
For over 50 years, scientists have been on a quest to identify which malignant mutations within the tumor allow rogue cells to break away from the primary tumor and travel through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to metastasize throughout the body. Now, new research suggests an alternative mechanism has been overlooked—elusive mutations driving metastasis may not be developing within the twisted DNA of tumors themselves, but within the patient’s regular, inherited DNA.
