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Genomic instability and the selection of treatments for cancer

Sarah A Martin1, Madeleine Hewish, Christopher J Lord

  • 1CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, Institute of Cancer Research, Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK.

The Journal of Pathology
|November 6, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Genomic instability, including DNA mutations and chromosomal changes, is crucial for cancer development. Understanding tumor-specific genomic instability can improve cancer treatments and guide new therapeutic strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Genomic instability, encompassing DNA mutations and chromosomal rearrangements, is a key factor in cancer development.
  • This instability can range from nucleotide-level changes to large-scale chromosomal alterations.
  • Defects in DNA damage response genes and epigenetic silencing of stability genes contribute to various cancer syndromes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the classification of tumors based on underlying genetic instability.
  • To highlight the link between specific types of genomic instability and cancer pathogenesis.
  • To discuss the potential of instability-based classification for optimizing cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on genomic instability and cancer.
  • Analysis of the role of DNA damage response genes and epigenetic modifications.
  • Discussion of tumor classification strategies.

Main Results:

  • Mutations in DNA damage response genes cause genomic instability syndromes linked to hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma, Bloom's syndrome, ataxia-telangiectasia, BRCA-associated cancers, and Fanconi anemia.
  • Epigenetic silencing of genes maintaining genomic stability is also implicated in cancer.
  • Tumor classification by genetic instability type is proposed as a novel approach.

Conclusions:

  • Genomic instability is a fundamental aspect of cancer development.
  • Classifying tumors by their specific type of genomic instability offers a new paradigm for understanding and treating cancer.
  • This classification approach may enhance current therapies and drive the development of novel treatments.

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