Loss of Chromosome Y Increases Men’s Risk for Cancer
Men who lose chromosome Y in blood cells are more likely to get cancer and to die younger, a new study shows.
The finding could lead to a new screening tool, said researcher Lars Forsberg, PhD, from Uppsala University in Sweden. “Our ultimate goal is to treat tumors before they become metastatic,” he stated.
Dr Forsberg presented the results, which update a previous study by his team (Nat Genet. 2014;46:624-628), here at the American Society of Human Genetics 2014 Annual Meeting.
This association between loss of chromosome Y and cancer could help explain why men tend to have a shorter lifespan and higher rates of sex-unspecific cancers than women, who do not have a Y chromosome, Dr Forsberg said.
Loss of chromosome Y becomes more and more common as men age, he said. Although researchers have been aware of the phenomenon for nearly 50 years, they are only beginning to explore the causes and effects.
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