Media Release
Mangaluru, Mar 4: A new genetic study led by Dr Ranajit Das, Dr Riaz Abdulla and Dr Hafeeda Kunhabdulla from Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) has uncovered distinctive DNA changes in people with oral cancer from the southwest coast of Karnataka, offering fresh clues about how the disease develops in this local population. The work, published recently in frontiers in genetics (https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2026.1739925), shows that the genetic makeup of oral cancers in this region is surprisingly different from patterns seen in global reference datasets, with some mutations appearing far more often, or almost exclusively, in people from Southwest coast of Karnataka.
Oral cancer is a major health challenge in India, but most genetic research so far has focused on people from Europe, North America, and other regions. In this first-of-its-kind genetic study from coastal Karnataka, researchers sequenced the DNA in both tumor and normal tissues from patients to look for changes that might be linked to cancer.
What makes this study different
Unique mutation patterns: The team found several genetic changes that are rare or absent in global cancer databases, meaning they haven’t been widely seen in oral cancer studies around the world.
Tumor-specific changes: Some mutations were found only in tumor tissue and not in the patients’ normal tissues. These changes were present in a large proportion of the study participants, suggesting they may play a role in how the cancer develops locally.
Likely distinct from global cancer profiles: When compared with international data, including large global cancer reference projects, these mutations are much more common in the Karnataka group and are not typical of oral cancers studied in other populations.
Possible region-specific signatures: The findings suggest that the interaction of genetic background, environment, lifestyle, and local risk factors may lead to a distinct genetic fingerprint of disease in people from this region.
Why it matters
This discovery highlights the importance of studying diverse populations. Many global cancer studies have under-represented people from India and South Asia, so region-specific variations may have been missed. The unique mutation patterns uncovered in this study underscore that the pathogenicity and clinical progress of oral cancer may not be genetically the same everywhere in the world.
By identifying these locally enriched genetic changes, scientists hope to develop better methods for early detection, risk assessment, and personalized treatment tailored to people in this high-burden region. It also opens the door to further research into how these unique changes influence the disease, which could ultimately benefit cancer care both locally and beyond.