According to study findings published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers have found the genetic cause of arteriovenous malformation (AVM), and believe targeted cancer drugs may be able to treat the blood-vessel disorder, reported BBC News.
hey now believe targeted cancer drugs may be able to treat it.

 AVM, which usually worsens over time, can cause swelling and disfigurement.

 An AVM is an abnormal collection of blood vessels where high-pressure arterial blood feeds directly into low-pressure veins.
The researchers took biopsies from 160 children with blood vessel disorders including AVMs and sequenced the DNA in the affected tissue.


 They identified four faulty genes that could trigger the condition. According to the news source, the same gene mutations are also involved in the growth of many cancers.

 As a result of the findings, two patients are taking an oral cancer treatment that targets the gene mutation involved in AVM.

 A recent MRI scan of one of the patients, who has been taking the once-daily drug for more than six months, suggested that her AVM had not worsened, but it will be more than a year before doctors know whether the treatment is effective.

 A clinical trial of the targeted cancer drugs is planned, the news source added.

Source: https://goo.gl/YtQ9TK