In the case of lung cancer, it is caused by tobacco, and in the case of skin cancer, it is triggered by the ultra-violet component of sunlight,” Stratton told the Observer.
The aim of the CRUK study was to uncover a similar mutational signature for oesophageal cancer, one that would point to the environmental cause for the disease’s high rates in Kenya and other nations.“It is a setback, because if we had found a distinctive mutational signature, we would have been able to make hypotheses about its cause – something in the diets or habits of groups with high oesophageal cancer rates,” said Stratton.The study, published last week in Nature Genetics, indicates that scientists will have to think more broadly about the factors that cause cancer, Stratton added