摘要
Cancer initiation and progression is the result of an accumulation of mutations inkey tumor suppressor genes, mismatch repair genes, or oncogenes, which impact cancer cell growth, death, and differentiation. Mutations occurring in cancer tissue are termed somatic; whereas, heritable mutatons that may be passed onto subsequent generations occur in germline DNA. It is these germline mutations that can lead to cancer family syndromeswhereby family members carrying a deleterious germline mutation have an increased susceptibility to certain cancer phenotypes. Common features of hereditary cancer syndromes include early age-of-onset, multiple affected generations, rare tumor types, and/or multiple primary malignancies.
Cancer initiation and progression is the result of an accumulation of mutations inkey tumor suppressor genes, mismatch repair genes, or oncogenes, which impact cancer cell growth, death, and differentiation. Mutations occurring in cancer tissue are termed somatic; whereas, heritable mutatons that may be passed onto subsequent generations occur in germline DNA. It is these germline mutations that can lead to cancer family syndromeswhereby family members carrying a deleterious germline mutation have an increased susceptibility to certain cancer phenotypes. Common features of hereditary cancer syndromes include early age-of-onset, multiple affected generations, rare tumor types, and/or multiple primary malignancies.
