An article in which scientists of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) have participated, and which was published on Sunday 30th of March in the Nature Genetics magazine, identifies an area of the chromosome 11 implied in colon and rectum cancer.

In this chromosomic area, called 11q23, there are four genes. However, which one is responsible for a higher risk to develop the tumour is still unknown.

Fifteen research groups from Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan and Israel participated. ICO is the only Spanish centre which was part of it. The study widens the knowledge about the causes of this type of tumour, which will allow us to develop new tools to fight against it.

Genes and  colon cancer

Colon and rectum tumours are the most common in Spain (22,000 new cases every year) and is responsible for 12,000 deaths every year. It is the second most frequent cancer among women and the third among men. In Catalonia 4,000 new cases are diagnosed every year and it is the second cause of death by cancer (2,000 anually).

It was recently discovered that the presence of rather frequent variations in two of the areas, chromosomes 8 and 18, increases slightly the risk of colon and rectum cancer.

The study now published by Nature Genetics confirms these previous results and, besides, identifies another area implied in the tumour, located in chromosome 11.

In order to carry out the study, the scientists compared the existing genetic variations among 17,454 patients with cancer and 16,353 healthy people from eight different places, Catalonia being one of them. From this starting point they were able to determine that the variations in the area 11q23 increase the odds to suffer from colon and rectum cancer.