title: Germ line polymorphism in metastatic progression.
abstract: Somatic genetic analysis of tumors and metastases has yielded a plethora of information regarding genes associated with cancer progression. However, somatic alterations in tumor cells are only one source of variability. Genetic polymorphism may also play a significant role in person-to-person variability in metastasis frequency, raising the intriguing possibility that some individuals could be predisposed to secondary tumor development. The identification and characterization of these polymorphisms may have significant implications for the development of tailored treatment or prevention of recurrent disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Population Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute/NIH, Building 41 Room D702, 41 Library Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. hunterk@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Kent W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Nigel P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic