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Cancer Genetics

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Vogel and Motulsky's Human Genetics

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Abstract

This chapter outlines the contribution of inherited genetic variation to cancer susceptibility and of acquired somatic mutations to cancer growth. The chapter deals with all forms of cancer susceptibility from rare, high-penetrance Mendelian syndromes to common alleles with small effects with importance for population risk. The section on somatic cancer genetics deals with underlying processes, such as genomic instability, and the types of functional change that result in the growth of both benign and malignant tumors. Genetic and epigenetic changes in cancers, from chromosomal scale to small mutations, are discussed. Overall, rather than performing an exhaustive survey in this large field, the chapter outlines the principles of cancer genetics using examples from both common and rare tumor types.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK

    Ian Tomlinson

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  1. Ian Tomlinson
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Genetics, Medical University of Graz, Harrachgasse 21/8, Graz, 8010, Austria

    Michael R. Speicher

  2. Departments of Medicine (Division of Medical Genetics) and Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1705 N.E. Pacific St., 355065, Seattle, WA, 98195-5065, USA

    Arno G. Motulsky (Professor Emeritus) (Professor Emeritus)

  3. Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School and University Hospitals of Geneva, 1 rue Michel-Servet, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland

    Stylianos E. Antonarakis

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Tomlinson, I. (2010). Cancer Genetics. In: Speicher, M.R., Motulsky, A.G., Antonarakis, S.E. (eds) Vogel and Motulsky's Human Genetics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-37654-5_16

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