Ray has written about this and I have also posted studies in the past. I have noticed that in the last couple of years the message has been getting stronger - i.e. methylation is a big factor in cancer. Hopefully, the field will move away from the completely genetic explanation of cancer as more knowledge on the matter accumulates.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... ancer.html
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 3512000547
"...Baylin agrees. "You don't know if the p16 triggered a series of events that were tied to a genetic mutation," he says. "So you can't rule out that it still requires collaboration with a genetic change." Either way, it doesn't really matter, says Bird. The study shows definitively that methylation contributes to cancer. "So whether it's the primary cause or not, it may well be an Achilles' heel of cancer – one that we can reverse.""
"...If epigenetic changes do drive cancer, there are several ways to potentially flip the switch in the opposite direction. "The coolest thing from an environmental perspective is that we can ask whether diet can influence this epigenetic process," says Shen. That's because methyl groups that switch genes on and off epigenetically are not synthesised by the body, they can come from folate in our diet, for example. There is some evidence that dietary changes can accelerate methylation or promote de-methylation."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... ancer.html
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 3512000547
"...Baylin agrees. "You don't know if the p16 triggered a series of events that were tied to a genetic mutation," he says. "So you can't rule out that it still requires collaboration with a genetic change." Either way, it doesn't really matter, says Bird. The study shows definitively that methylation contributes to cancer. "So whether it's the primary cause or not, it may well be an Achilles' heel of cancer – one that we can reverse.""
"...If epigenetic changes do drive cancer, there are several ways to potentially flip the switch in the opposite direction. "The coolest thing from an environmental perspective is that we can ask whether diet can influence this epigenetic process," says Shen. That's because methyl groups that switch genes on and off epigenetically are not synthesised by the body, they can come from folate in our diet, for example. There is some evidence that dietary changes can accelerate methylation or promote de-methylation."