How inflammation can lead to cancer
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 10:20
in Health & Medicine
A new study shows how inflammation can help cause cancer. The study found that inflammation stimulates a rise in levels of a molecule called microRNA-155 (miR-155). This increase, in turn, causes a drop in levels of proteins involved in DNA repair, resulting in a higher rate of spontaneous gene mutations, which can contribute to cancer development. The findings suggest that drugs designed to reduce miR-155 levels might improve the treatment of inflammation-related cancers.