Sutton scientists have identified how a variant of an inherited genetic associated with an increased risk of developing the most common type of leukaemia helps cancer cells survive.

The findings could lead to new ways of targeting the disease – a slowly progressing and incurable form of cancer that is diagnosed in more than 4,000 people in the UK each year.

Recent studies by the team at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton show that chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is due to subtle variations in a person’s DNA, as opposed to a single genetic fault.

The more of the inherited genetic variations someone carries, the higher their risk of developing the disease.

In a new study, published on Wednesday, the ICR researchers identified for the first time the role that this area of a complete set of genes play in the formation of this leukaemia.

The research was funded by the blood cancer charity Bloodwise, with additional support from Cancer Research UK and the Arbib Charitable Fund.