Autism and cancer are among the most dreaded conditions today, but when they come you just have to face them. Have you ever thought of any link between the two? According to new reports, cancer and autism have common genes.
Previous Study Learned About The Link Of Autism And Cancer
Well, it might appear unlikely at first to believe that autism and cancer have something in common, but they do. A report from New York Times three years ago suggested that there were researchers studying two unrelated conditions - autism and cancer.
They unexpectedly ended with a surprising discovery. Some autistic patients have mutated cancer or tumor genes that caused their brain disorder. The researchers learned that there's a link between cancer and autism. Children with autism are at high risk of cancer.
Per the report, not everyone agreed that the results were promising, but it changed the perspective of some medical professional. "We haven't solved it all; we have only solved a tiny bit," said Jonathan Sebat who described the parallels between cancer and autism as uncanny. "But the small bit we solved has been very illuminating."
Autism And Cancer Share Over 40 Risk Genes In Common
Fast forward, a new study suggests that indeed, there is a link between autism and cancer. According to ScienceDaily, autism and cancer share 43 risk genes in common. The researchers were surprised, as this has never been highlighted in the scientific literature. However, this gives them a new idea of altering cancer drugs as a potential treatment for autism.
"It may be possible to repurpose available cancer drugs with reasonable safety profiles as targeted treatments for ASD," the authors write. "Stratifying individuals with ASD who harbor a risk gene for autism that is also a risk gene for cancer may enable therapeutic development of personalized medicines based on the specific causal mutation."
The study is published online in Trends in Genetics.
Were you surprised to learn that autism and cancer shared several risk genes? Share your thoughts about autism and cancer in the comment section below.
