title: Aneuploidy and cancer.
abstract: In contrast to normal cells, aneuploidy--alterations in the number of chromosomes--is consistently observed in virtually all cancers. A growing body of evidence suggests that aneuploidy is often caused by a particular type of genetic instability, called chromosomal instability, which may reflect defects in mitotic segregation in cancer cells. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to aneuploidy holds promise for the development of cancer drugs that target this process.
authors.affiliation: The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1650 Orleans Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21231, USA.
authors.forename: Harith
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rajagopalan
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lengauer
mesh_terms: D000782:Aneuploidy; D000818:Animals; D043171:Chromosomal Instability / Q000235:genetics*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D006801:Humans; D008938:Mitosis / Q000235:genetics; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis