科学家破译癌症遗传密码

　　Most of these mutations are known as "passengers" and cause damage but not cancer. However a small number are called "drivers" and these lead to the disease.

　　这些突变基因中的大部分被认为是“乘客”，它们虽会造成破坏，却并不直接致癌。但也有少量的突变基因被称为“司机”，正是它们导致了癌症的发生。

　　By sequencing many more cancer patients over the next few years, the researchers hope to distil down the mix until they have a handful of targets to hit with treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

　　研究人员在未来几年将对更多癌症患者进行基因组测序，以期对这两类突变进行过滤筛选，直至找到少量目标，以便用化疗、放疗等方式予以杀灭。

　　It is eventually believed that a simple blood test will mean every patient will be given their own cancer chart so their treatment can be tailor made.

　　人们相信，最终，每个癌症患者通过一个简单的血检就可获得其本人的癌变图谱，因而其治疗也会量身定制。

　　Already the lung cancer genome is yielding useful information. As the average victim has smoked 18,000 packets of cigarettes, the researchers have concluded that a mutation is caused roughly every 15 cigarettes.

　　对肺癌基因组的研究已获得了某种有用的信息。由于肺癌患者平均吸烟1.8万包，研究人员据以得出结论称，大约每15根香烟就会引发一个基因突变。

资料图 抗癌新突破:科学家破译癌症遗传密码

　　The research, published in the journal Nature, was hailed as groundbreaking by fellow researchers.

　　这份发表在《自然》杂志上的研究成果被其他同领域研究者赞誉为具有突破性意义。

　　Professor Carlos Caldas, a cancer expert from Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute, said: "This is groundbreaking research."

　　英国癌症研究院剑桥研究所的癌症研究专家卡洛斯·卡尔达斯称：“这是一项突破性的研究。”

　　"By repeating and refining this technique with other forms of cancer, and comparing the results to data from the Human Genome Project, the hope and excitement for the future is that we'll eventually have a detailed picture of how different cancers develop, and ultimately how better to treat and prevent them."

　　“通过反复使用并不断改良这一技术来研究其他类型的癌症，之后将研究结果与‘人类基因组计划’的数据进行比较，令人兴奋的是，未来我们有望最终获得一份详尽的基因图谱，展示各种癌症的发生过程，并了解如何更好地治疗及预防癌症。”

　　Dr Elizabeth Rapley, of The Institute of Cancer Research, added: "These are exciting studies that show us a great deal about how cancer is triggered and driven by mutations in DNA. "

　　癌症研究院的伊丽莎白·拉普利博士补充道：“这是一项激动人心的研究。它为我们提供了大量信息，揭示了DNA的突变是如何引发及推动癌症产生的。”

　　"This is the first time that a complete cancer genome has been sequenced and similar insights into other cancer genomes are likely to follow."

　　“这是人类首次完成一种癌症全基因组的排序，对其他癌症基因组的类似研究成果可能也将随后出炉。”

　　"As more cancer genomes are revealed by this technique, we will gain a greater understanding of how cancer is caused and develops, improving our ability to prevent, treat and cure cancer."

　　“随着该技术破解更多的癌症基因，我们将极大地增强对癌症成因及其演变的认识，继而提高预防、治疗及治愈癌症的能力。”