TUESDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- A person's risk of cancer
increases if he or she suffers from DNA-damaging chronic
inflammation of the intestine or stomach, such as ulcerative
colitis, according to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Their findings, confirmed in two studies the researchers did on
mice, were published in the June 2 online issue of the
Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Researchers have long known that inflammation caused by
infectious agents, such as
Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis C, produces cytokines --
chemicals that can foster cancerous cell proliferation and suppress
cell death. This increases the risk of stomach and liver cancers.
They had also suspected that the inflammation pathway could also
induce cancer, as the body's response to infection includes a
release of reactive oxygen and nitrogen that can damage DNA.
Normally, the DNA damage would be repaired by the cells. But, if
the DNA repair system is not functioning properly, the damage could
induce cell mutations that can lead to cancer, according to the new
study.
"It's something that was expected, but it was never formally
proven," lead study author Lisiane Meira, research scientist in
MIT's Center for Environmental Health Sciences, said in a prepared
statement.
As everyone's DNA repair system has a different degree of
effectiveness, doctors might now be able figure out which patients
are most susceptible to inflammation-induced cancers.
"That variation could influence the susceptibility of
individuals and how they are going to respond to a chronic
inflammation response," senior study author Leona Samson, director
of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences, said in a prepared
statement.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more about
stomach cancer.
