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Researchers from the UK and UK have found that treating the most aggressive cancers should focus on targeting extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), which are rogue DNA fragments that help cancerous tumors flourish and become chemotherapy-resistant.

They found ecDNA is present in over 17% of analyzed tumors, particularly in aggressive forms of breast, brain, and lung cancers, co-segregate during mitosis, allowing them to inherit multiple oncogenes, or cancer-prone ecDNA by daughter cells.

Nature

Besides oncogenes, this rogue DNA, which is found across 39 cancer types, also amplifies immunomodulatory and inflammatory genes, which contribute to treatment resistance, immune evasion, and cancer spreading to other parts of the body.

However, the researchers developed a CHK1 inhibitor — which helps repair damaged cells — to specifically target ecDNA-containing cancer cells, reducing tumor growth and preventing resistance.

Study: Agressive Cancer Can Be Treated by Targeting Rogue DNA

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Study: Agressive Cancer Can Be Treated by Targeting Rogue DNA

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