Article

Family cancer syndromes: inherited deficiencies in systems for the maintenance of genomic integrity.

Department of Cancer Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.
Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America (impact factor: 1.12). 02/2009; 18(1):1-17, vii. DOI:10.1016/j.soc.2008.08.001 pp.1-17, vii
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Familial cancer syndromes have revealed important fundamental features regarding how all cancers arise through destabilization of the genome, such that somatic evolution can select for the disruption of critical cellular coordinating and regulatory features. The authors examine those cellular genes and systems whose normal role is to preserve genomic integrity and relate them to the genetic foundations of heritable cancers. By examining how these cellular systems normally function, how family cancer genes are able to affect the process of tumor progression can be learned. In so doing, a clearer picture of how sporadic cancers arise is additionally gained.

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Keywords

cancers
 
cellular genes
 
cellular systems
 
critical cellular
 
Familial cancer syndromes
 
family cancer genes
 
genetic foundations
 
genomic integrity
 
heritable cancers
 
normal role
 
somatic evolution
 
sporadic cancers
 
tumor progression