Cancer classification with DNA microarrays is less more?
The dissection of cancer and the underlying molecular processes that are defective in cancer cells has become an important tool in the fight against this disease. DNA microarrays can provide detailed information of the expression pattern of thousands of genes in tumours. But how much of this data is useful and is some superfluous? Can array data be used to identify a handful of critical genes that will lead to a more-detailed taxonomy of tumours and can this or similar array data be used to predict clinical outcome? Primary tumours will give us the statistical power to draw these conclusions, but can cancer cell lines be used as models to point us in the right direction?
Wooster
R
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Section of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Haddow Laboratories, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, UK. rw1@icr.ac.uk
D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured