[General principles of tumour biology in visceral surgery]

Within the last decade, there has been a tremendous progress in understanding the molecular basis of cancer. In particular, the development and the characteristic features of cancer cells are being increasingly understood. The understanding of these molecular characteristics is mandatory for the development of novel, targeted therapeutic strategies and their integration into clinical practice. In addition, tumour genetics play a critically important role for hereditary cancer syndromes, with respect to both diagnostics and clinical decision-making. The aim of this review is to highlight general principles of tumour genetics from a visceral surgeon's point of view, although a comprehensive summary of all aspects would be beyond the scope of this article due to the complexity of the topic.