Scientists find genetic clues to tackle oral cancer among women
While disease is widely studied in men, oral cancer in women has often remained under the radar
Scientists find genetic clues to tackle oral cancer among women
A team of Indian scientists has discovered oral cancer-causing driver gene mutations in women patients in southern parts of the country.
The team from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru and the BRIC-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani, in collaboration with clinicians from Sri Devraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research (SDUAHER), Kolar, conducted a female-centric study on oral cancer in India with a unique tobacco chewing habit.
This study led by Professor Tapas K Kundu, JNCASR, Bengaluru aimed to understand what makes cancers in women unique, how the disease manifests and progresses in female patients and how we can treat them better.
The team also used artificial intelligence (deep learning) to digitally analyse tumour tissues. This revealed two distinct groups of female patients, each with a different immune response in their tumours. India carries one of the world’s heaviest burdens of oral cancer with alarmingly high rates witnessed among women in certain regions, especially in southern and northeast India, due to the widespread habit of chewing tobacco-infused betel quid, gutka, and related products.
