Different pathways of colorectal carcinogenesis and their clinical pictures.
An entertaining debate in cancer genetics concerns the relative importance of selection for a growth advantage and genomic instability in tumorigenesis. Below, I present evidence that shows that selection is more important, particularly in the early stages of tumorigenesis, but that genomic instability is also an indisputable feature of many cancers. One attractive possibility is that some mutations may have pleiotropic effects both on cell replication or apoptosis and on genomic instability.
Molecular and Population Genetics Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, United Kingdom. I.tomlinson@icrf.icnet.uk
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Tomlinson
D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins