Question: What is the link between cancer and epigenetics?
Keywords: cancer, epigenetics, link
Comments
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thats great if they could find a cure for cancer but at what cost would it be to the general public
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Hi cro1, good comment – discoveries in science are often limited by what the cost might be to the general public, something that is most commonly controlled by the government.
So, the government wants to make sure that the any new discovery, new medicine, cure or whatever SAVES them money in the long run. Cancer affects so many people, it costs the government a huge amount of money every day to treat, diagnose and care for patients.
Sometimes, when new drugs come onto the market they are really expensive. This is usually because the government has not yet approved them to be subsidised (where the government pays for some of the costs). Once the drugs have been around for a bit and proven to save lives and save money, they are reduced in cost.
I hope this helps to clarify your point?
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If you’re interested in learning more about genes and genetics, visit the TechNyou site for more info: http://technyou.edu.au/
cro1
admin_kristin
Hi tishan,
Well… scientists have been working on this question for the past 15 years or so! Its a great one.
We know that in a normal cell, epigenetics controls how your genes or DNA is ‘read’. For some reason, this can stuff up so that your genes or DNA is read wrong. Epigenetics controls this and if it goes haywire in the wrong parts of your DNA then your cells can turn cancerous.
What we don’t yet know is WHY epigenetics goes wrong in your cells to cause cancer. If we do find this out, we might be able to prevent cancer or make new treatments. Its really exciting stuff.
Please comment below if you want more info!
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