Researchers say this form of cancer is more common in women than in men

Jun 12, 2014 00:57 GMT  ·  By

A recent paper in the journal Nature Genetics announces the discovery of a form of cancer to whose existence the scientific community was previously oblivious.

This new type of cancer was documented by researchers with the Mayo Clinic in the United States, and it is now known as biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma, Medical Express informs.

As detailed in the journal Nature Genetics, the rare form of cancer is caused by a so-called chimera, i.e. a gene that comes into being through the combination of two other genes dubbed PAX3 and MAML3.

The tumor that this chimera gene causes to form typically makes its debut inside an individual's nose. Unless treated, the tumor eventually encompasses the entire face.

What's interesting is that, for reasons yet to be discovered, this newly discovered type of cancer is much more common in women than it is in men.

Specifically, Mayo Clinic scientists maintain that women make up as much as 75% of the total number of registered cases of biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma.

Now that these researchers have identified such tumors as a new type of cancer and have also managed to pin down its genetic structure and molecular signature, doctors should have an easier time diagnosing and treating it.