Researchers discovered that extra copies of chromosome 1q drive early-stage pancreatic cancer. Unlike small mutations, these large chromosomal changes appear in nearly 40% of tumors and often show up in precancerous lesions before other mutations occur.
The researchers identified two key genes, NCSTN and PSEN2, on chromosome 1q that regulate cell behavior. Using whole-genome sequencing and FISH imaging, they found these abnormalities are more common than previously known.
This finding could help detect pancreatic cancer earlier and offers new treatment targets, such as drugs that block the γ-secretase complex. Researchers now plan to study exactly how these genes trigger cancer and whether similar chromosome 1q changes occur in other tumors.