A recent study highlighted a rare case involving identical twin sisters, Amelia and Amaya, who were diagnosed with cancer before birth. A fetal MRI revealed a facial mass on one twin at 33 weeks, leading to their early delivery. Upon birth, both girls were found to have tumors, raising questions about the origins of their cancers.
Researchers utilized DNA analysis to investigate whether the cancer arose in each twin separately or if it spread from one to the other during their shared womb. The findings indicated that the cancer began in twin A and transferred to twin B, with genetic markers confirming this transfer.
The study showcased how cancer cells could traverse the placenta and underscored that while identical twins start genetically alike, mutations can occur, leading to differences in their genetic make-up over time. The research was conducted by a team from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the University of Cambridge, and has been published in Nature Communications.
Both twins sadly passed away shortly after birth, and their family’s participation in post-mortem examinations was crucial for the study, which aimed to understand prenatal cancer development.
