Scientist’s recent discovery could help those with pediatric eye cancer


Following the recent publication of the Journal of Cellular Physiology scientist could have found the role an inactive gene plays in the development of retinoblastoma (a pediatric eye cancer). The discovery has been made by researchers at Sharro Institute for Cancer Research as funded by the Sharro Health Research Organization and suggests that the gene p16INK4A could be playing a significant role in the rapid progression of the fatal eye cancer.

Retinoblastoma normally affects children of any age but is most commonly found within children under the age of 5 and stems from a tumor in the retina. It is then found in two forms; either heritable or non-heritable, with the latter being slightly more common. Heritable affects both eyes with non-heritable only being found in the one eye; and as the name suggest heritable retinoblastoma is an inherited gene from the parent or early mutation within the womb. Until now the causes of retinoblastoma have remained somewhat unknown, which is why it is hoped that the discovery of the p16INK4A gene could help in treatment and prognosis of the disease. Scientists believe that when the gene is lacking in activation, it is more likely to develop into progressive retinoblastoma. In the study conducted by researchers both the children and parents alike were found to have reduced expressions of p16INK4A. This is therefore thought to point towards the inheritability part of the disease.

The study involved the examination of 29 patients and their parents and found the expression of p16INK4A was low in nearly half of the tumors; and the reduced expression of p16INK4A was found in one of the parents for over half of the patients adding to the belief of susceptibility by inheriting. Not only does these findings produce good results in the hope of finding treatments for retinoblastoma but is also thought to be connected to familial cancer as a whole.

24th January 2010

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