Researchers at Northwestern University say they’ve learned more about how a relatively common gene variant, called TGFBR1*6A, contributes to tumor development.Previous research found that this variant increases cancer risk by about 24 percent but it’s not clear exactly how TGFBR1*6A -- which is found in 13.7 percent of the general population -- contributes to cancer development. The gene has been thought to play a role in colorectal cancers, and perhaps other forms of cancer as well.TGFBR1*6A is a variant of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), a powerful, naturally occurring inhibitor of cell growth.This study of 531 patients with head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer found TGFBR1*6A to be frequently acquired in metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer and may give these malignant cells a growth advantage in the presence of TGF-beta.People who have the TGFBR1*6A variant are at greater likelihood of developing metastases than people who don’t have this variant, the researchers found. That means that TGFBR1*6A may serve as a useful “biomarker” for those at risk, the study authors said.
