More DNA 'spelling mistakes' as cancer spreads

VANCOUVER: Researchers reported the first evidence yesterday that cancer cells genetically mutate as the disease progresses, a "watershed" discovery they say holds hope for new treatments.

The researchers completed the world's first sequencing of the billions of letters in the DNA of a female cancer patient at three different stages, in just weeks. The feat was reported as the cover story in the October 8 edition of the science journal Nature.

Showing that cancer evolves "will lead to a shift in perspective" in how cancer is treated, lead researcher Samuel Aparicio of Canada's British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) told AFP.