In a recent study, researchers found out that commonly used chemotherapy "Ifosfamide" may lead to toxic effects that are generational. According to SciTechDaily, such effects may be inherited by children and even grandchildren of cancer survivors that are adolescents.
Such findings were observed among rats. The scientists found that male rats that took ifosfamide when they were adolescents had higher disease incidence among their direct descendants and grand descendants. SciTechDaily notes how such study is the first known one to look into disease probability that stems from cancer treatments that can be inherited by succeeding generations. It was included in the iScience publication.
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Male Rats Exposed to Ifosfamide Chemotherapy Drug
As part of the study, the scientists exposed a group of male rats to the ifosfamide chemotherapy drug for a span of three days. This mirrored the treatment course of a typical adolescent cancer patient. Such rats, later on, got bred with their female counterparts who were not previously exposed to the drug. The offspring were then bred again with other rats that did not have any prior exposure.
Upon analyzing the offspring, the scientists noticed how the first generation had a certain level of exposure to the drug. However, this did not stay within the first generation only as higher incidence was also observed in the second generation. Though there were differences in terms of sex and generation, the linked issues covered higher incidence of testis and kidney illnesses and late puberty onset and remarkably low anxiety, which reflected a decreased capacity to evaluate risk.
The team also looked into the epigenomes of the creatures. Prior studies have revealed that being exposed to toxicants may lead to epigenetic alterations that could be inherited through the ova and sperm.
According to Science Daily, the analysis results revealed epigenetic alterations across two generations that were associated with chemotherapy exposure. Considering how such changes were also observed among grand-offspring, this also indicates how epigenetic inheritance enabled negative impacts to be passed down.
Generational Effects of Cancer Treatment
SciTechDaily notes how previous studies revealed that treatments for cancer may boost the risks of developing illnesses in the patient's latter part of life. However, this study looks deeper into how chemotherapy effects can be inherited by succeeding generations.
According to biologist and study author Michael Skinner, the study findings suggest that, if a certain patient goes through chemotherapy and then has children later on, the person's grandchildren and even the succeeding generation may have heightened susceptibility for getting disease.
Skinner, however, emphasized that such findings should not discourage patients from getting chemotherapy because such treatment has been seen to be evidently effective. Chemotherapy treatments eliminate the cells that are cancerous and stop their further multiplication. However, the treatment may lead to various side effects because it impacts the entire body.
Considering the implications of the study, the scientists suggest that patients who plan to have children in the future should take precautions. This may include cryopreservation in order to freeze the ova or sperm prior to chemotherapy.
Skinner and his team is currently focusing on a human study with previous cancer patients who are adolescents in order to examine chemotherapy effects on disease susceptibility and fertility.
He notes that there is a potential to know if exposure had epigenetic alterations that could guide the exact diseases the person develops and what gets passed down. Skinner also mentions how epigenetics can assist in diagnosing susceptibility to illness.
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