Scientists For The First Time Identify The Origins Of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, A Form Of Childhood Cancer

The cause of the disruptive form of childhood cancer also called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) has not been known by the researchers before. However, scientists have finally succeeded in recognizing the origin of ALCL.

Medical News Today described Lymphoma as the cancer of immune cells or also referred to as lymphocytes. Lymphoma may occur at any age but it is the most common cancer in children or young adults.

According to Science Daily, the study, as published in the journal Nature Communications, is led by the scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Medical University of Vienna. "The origins of the ALCL could be traced to a gene disorder in the development of blood-producing stem cells, which are located in the thymes," Lukas Kenner for the Clinical Institute of Pathology at MedUni Vienna explained.

The researchers found out that the expanse of lymphomas or the tumors that arise from any elements of lymph modes entails a major change of a key part of the immune system specifically the T-cell receptor (TCR). This is a kind of white blood cells that search for infections and damage cells in the body.

In their animal study, which involved mice in which ALCL has multiplied, TCR was initially needed. However, it was lost from the plane of the cancer cells. "This means that the TCR molecule has a strong suppressive effect on tumor development," Kenner further added.

"Current chemotherapy is particularly exhausting for children and adolescent, especially if a relapse occurs and additional treatment is needed. Our new findings of this lymphoma enable the development of more efficient and less toxic medicines, with which every child will soon be able to return to a normal life after treatment," he then concluded.