Study: A common chemo drug has toxic effects on later generations of cancer survivors

Washington-SANA

A Washington State University study shows that a common chemotherapy drug can have toxic effects on the children and grandchildren of cancer survivors.

The study, published in the journal (iScience), stated that an experiment on male rats that received ifosfamide during adolescence showed that they had offspring and grandchildren who had increased disease, pointing out that this was one of the first results to show that susceptibility to infection could be transmitted to the third generation. Of the children who are not exposed to the disease.

The study concluded that exposure to toxic substances, especially during development, can cause genetic changes that may be transmitted through sperm and eggs, and that these changes can be seen in the descendants who were not directly exposed to the chemotherapy drug through epigenetic inheritance.

Michael Skinner, a biologist at Washington State University and co-author of the study, said that the results “indicate that if a patient receives chemotherapy with ifosfamide and then has children, his grandchildren and even great-grandchildren may be more susceptible to the disease because their ancestors were exposed to this treatment.” These findings “should not discourage cancer patients from undergoing chemotherapy as it can be a very effective treatment.”

It is mentioned that chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells and prevent them from multiplying, but they have many side effects because they affect the whole body, including the reproductive system.

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