A study led by Dr Dan Theodorescu at the University of Arizona Cancer Center has found that loss of the Y chromosome in men’s body tissue may help cancer develop.
Published in JCI Insights, the research shows that age-related loss of the Y chromosome can create a hidden genetic weakness in normal tissue, making it easier for cancer to form.
Researchers said each male cell normally carries one X and one Y chromosome. The study found that Y chromosome loss was present in normal-looking tissue next to tumours, suggesting it may be one of the earliest signs of cancer formation.
The team examined 1,000 tissue samples from 405 men across 11 major organs. They used automated fluorescent imaging to analyse more than 4.3 million cell nuclei and measure the ratio of Y to X chromosomes.
In bladder tissue maps taken during cancer surgery, the researchers found that Y chromosome loss increased from normal tissue to early abnormal cells and then to cancer.
The loss was most common in colon, rectum, esophagus, pancreas and lung cancers. The researchers said the closer the tissue is to cancer, the greater the Y chromosome loss.
Theodorescu said the findings could one day help doctors detect trouble in biopsy samples that miss smaller cancers. He added that the discovery may improve understanding of how cancer develops and why Y chromosome loss is linked to higher death rates from some carcinomas.
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