The current treatment for a group of blood cancers called myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) involves demethylating drugs that inhibit the growth of cancer cells. However, a multinational team led by researchers from Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States has found that the drugs may actually activate a known oncogene—a gene that under certain conditions can cause cancer. Activating the “sleeping” oncogene may lead to poor survival rates.
In a press release on Oct. 20, Taiwan’s Taipei Veterans General Hospital (NCGH) discussed the discovery, which may change current thinking on the treatment of MDS and other cancers.
