title: Cancer heterogeneity--a multifaceted view.
abstract: Cancers of various organs have been categorized into distinct subtypes after increasingly sophisticated taxonomies. Additionally, within a seemingly homogeneous subclass, individual cancers contain diverse tumour cell populations that vary in important cancer-specific traits such as clonogenicity and invasive potential. Differences that exist between and within a given tumour type have hampered significantly both the proper selection of patients that might benefit from therapy, as well as the development of new targeted agents. In this review, we discuss the differences associated with organ-specific cancer subtypes and the factors that contribute to intra-tumour heterogeneity. It is of utmost importance to understand the biological causes that distinguish tumours as well as distinct tumour cell populations within malignancies, as these will ultimately point the way to more rational anti-cancer treatments.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Experimental Oncology & Radiobiology, Centre for Experimental Molecular Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Sousa E Melo
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fessler
authors.forename: Jan Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Medema
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D060965:Clonal Evolution; D002999:Clone Cells; D015870:Gene Expression; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins