Mayo Clinic Completes First Genome-Wide Analysis of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have completed the world's first genome-wide sequencing analysis of peripheral T-cell lymphomas, unlocking the genetic secrets of this poorly understood and highly aggressive cancer of the immune system. Andrew Feldman, M.D., a Mayo Clinic pathologist and Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator, and a team of researchers affiliated with Mayo's Center for Individualized Medicine and Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, found 13 genomic abnormalities that were seen in multiple peripheral T-cell lymphomas. Of particular interest, five of these abnormalities relate to production and behavior of the p53 protein -- often called the "guardian of the genome" because of the central role it plays in regulating cell life cycles and, therefore, suppressing cancers.