8. Genes and genomes in cancer: targeted therapies

The goal of this chapter is to consider advances in the understanding of the biology of tumors through genomic and genetic studies. These studies have increasingly led to delineation of specific signaling pathways that are impacted in tumors. Insights into these pathways have led to advances in cancer therapy. However, technologies that enable in-depth analysis of the clones within tumors reveal the extent of genomic changes that occur in tumors and the difficulty in distinguishing driver mutations that are key in tumor progression from passenger mutations that may play secondary roles in progression.

Molecular studies in tumors and therapeutic developments

In a review of the history of cancer ...

Get Genetic Breakthroughs— Their Implications for You and Your Health (Collection) now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.