Cancer variants found in ‘neglected’ region of genome

Parts of human DNA that do not contain genes but instead turn them on and off may be just as vulnerable to cancer-causing mutations as protein-producing genes are, a new study finds.

Using computer programs to comb through the DNA of 88 cancer patients, researchers identified 98 mutations in gene-regulating parts of the genome that may be causing the patients’ breast, prostate or brain tumors, the team reports in the Oct.