A unique genetic mutation has been found in more than 70% of certain kidney cancer patients in Japan, a higher percentage than in other countries, an international team of researchers said Tuesday.
Its cause is unclear and there is a good chance that unknown carcinogenic factors are involved, said the team of researchers, including from the National Cancer Center Japan. The finding was published on May 1 in the British scientific journal Nature.
The team conducted whole-genome analyzes of cancer cells from 962 patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer, in 11 countries, including Japan, the United States and European countries. It extracted mutation signatures from genetic sequences to analyze cancer causes and regional differences.
It showed that the SBS12 mutation signature was detected in 26 of the 36 Japanese patients in the study, while it was found in only about 2% of patients from other countries. The signature features differed from those associated with aging, obesity and high blood pressure.
The mutation was frequently detected in a previous genetic analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer, in Japanese people.
According to the National Cancer Center Japan, approximately 80% of kidney cancer patients suffer from renal cell carcinoma, of which 60% to 75% are of the clear cell type.
This type of kidney cancer is common in Central and Northern Europe and has been on the rise in Japan in recent years.
The center plans to work with the World Health Organization to identify the carcinogenic factor causing the mutation and investigate its spread.
Tatsuhiro Shibata, director of cancer genomics research at the Japan Cancer Center, called the latest study “a step toward developing new prevention and treatment methods.”
