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Scientists decode DNA of cancer patient

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New hope has emerged for cancer sufferers after scientists decoded the entire DNA of a cancer patient and tracked down the disease to its genetic roots.

The revolutionary advance is set to pave the way for better treatments say experts, following the research findings at Washington University School of Medicine.

The study followed a female patient in her 50s who suffered with acute myeloid leukaemia and died 23 months after she was first diagnosed.

Scientists planned to uncover the genetic mutations that may have prompted the development of the cancer. The team found 10 gene mutations and just two of these had been linked to the cancer previously.

The same technique could be used when dealing with other forms of cancer, say experts, and help tailor the design of the necessary drugs.

Scientists examined healthy skin cells from the patient and those from bone marrow tissue with cancerous cells. They discovered that nearly every cell from the tumour had nine of the key mutations they had highlighted.

One expert, geneticist Dr Francis Collins hailed the study as a 'true landmark in cancer research'.

He commented: 'This achievement ushers in a new era of comprehensive understanding of the fundamental nature of cancer, and offers great promise for the development of powerful new approaches to diagnosis, prevention and treatment.'

Kate Arney of Cancer Research UK said of the findings: 'This is a very important piece of research, not only for our understanding of leukaemia but for many other types of cancer.'