The genetics of blood cancers

Published by Travis Wilson on

Bone marrow is the soft part inside our bones. It contains stem cells. Some stem cells become blood cells. Some may grow into red blood cells. They carry oxygen in our body. Others may become white blood cells. These help us fight off infection. If something goes wrong with stem cells, it can lead to diseases. Leukemia is a cancer of white blood cells. Sometimes, stem cells grow into abnormal white blood cells. Or, the bone marrow may make too many white blood cells. Another blood cancer is when the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells. There are many kinds of blood cancers. Some grow fast and spread to other parts of the body. Blood cancers are hard to treat. Scientists know that genetics can play a role. Changes in certain genes can cause disease. Sometimes these changes happen and we do not know why. Certain chemicals and smoking can also increase your risk for these gene changes. Researchers at Vanderbilt will use BioVU to study blood cancers. They will look for a link between gene changes and different types of blood cancers. The results of this study will help us learn more about different types of blood cancers. It may also help us learn who is at risk for different blood cancers. We hope it will help us better treat blood cancers.

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