Here’s something of note….
McKerrell T, Park N, et al.. Leukemia-associated
somatic mutations drive distinct patterns of age-related clonal hemopoiesis.
Cell Reports. 2015. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.02.005
At college we were told that if we lived long
enough we’d get leukaemia; it was inevitable. Or so said our lecturers. Now it
would seem they were right.
Comparing their findings
with other research, the team concluded that the incidence of pre-leukemic
cells in the general population is not only far higher than previously thought
but also increases with age. "Leukemia
results from the gradual accumulation of DNA mutations in blood stem cells, in
a process that can take decades," said Dr McKerrell. "Over time, the probability of these
cells acquiring mutations rises. What surprised us was that we found these
mutations in such a large proportion of elderly people."
This study helps us
understand how aging can lead to leukemia, even though the great majority of
people will not live long enough to accumulate all the mutations required to
develop the disease… but as medicine improves so people live longer…
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