New insight into causes of B-cell lymphoma uncovered

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have conducted research that challenges previous understanding of how people develop the common cancer B-cell lymphoma.

Previously, it had been thought that a malfunction of the body's somatic hypermutation mechanism causes the genes coding for antibodies to be modified in a way that creates cancer.

However, Dr Thierry Nouspikel's team have discovered a separate mechanism by which infected B-cells replicate damaged DNA, leading to mutations that can lead to lymphoma.

This new process affects many more genes and accounts for a wider variety of lymphoma types than the first, while the model also tallies better with current understanding of how ultraviolet light exposure affects cancer risk.

Dr Nouspikel said: "If we want to come up with efficient strategies for prevention and therapy, it is crucial to understand what causes it."

According to Cancer Research UK, four out of every five instances of lymphoma in Britain are non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases, with around 10,700 new patients being diagnosed with this disease each year.