more complex than even experts in the genetics of the disease had believed

[R.B.]

From a quick skim I did not see any indication if these mutations were genetic or the result of uncontrolled oxidative processes in the body.

"showed that cancer was more complex than even experts in the genetics of the disease had believed"

Which has implications for treatment and treatment regiemes (eg complex = difficult to treat) and a good argument to use all available mechanisms to minimise risk through diet exercise etc.

RB


http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,...8a7144,00.html

Abstract

Genetic map identifies nearly 200 cancer genes
12 September 2006

WASHINGTON: The first genetic map of colon and breast cancer shows that nearly 200 mutated genes - most of them previously unknown - help tumours start, grow and spread, US researchers reported last week.

The findings could lead to new treatments for cancer, better ways to diagnose it, and certainly will provide insights into the second-leading cause of death in the developed world, the researchers said.

Dr Kenneth Kinzler of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who helped lead the study, said it showed that cancer was more complex than even experts in the genetics of the disease had believed.

"There are a lot of mutated genes," Kinzler said in a telephone interview.

"A lot of things seem to have gone wrong."

"We expected to find a handful of genes, not 200," added Tobias Sjoblom, the principal author of the study.

The researchers said they had identified 189 genes, with an average of 11 per tumour, that were clearly mutated in breast and colon tumours.

"The vast majority of these genes were not known to be genetically altered in tumours and are predicted to affect a wide range of cellular functions, including transcription, adhesion, and invasion," they wrote in their report published in the journal Science.