Genetics and cytogenetics of pediatric cancers

It is clear that genetic factors play an important role in the development of some human cancers. These factors may be particularly influential in the pediatric age group because environmental exposures have been minimal. Several pediatric solid tumors, including retinoblastoma and Wilms' tumor, are hereditary. Specific constitutional chromosome abnormalities have been found in these patients, thus implicating certain gene regions as being involved in tumorigenesis. Molecular genetic studies have provided insight into the events occurring at the DNA level in these gene regions. The role of genetics in the development of sporadic pediatric malignancies is also beginning to be elucidated as specific acquired chromosome abnormalities are being discovered in the malignant cells of these otherwise karyotypically normal individuals. This paper will review selected hereditary and nonhereditary pediatric cancers that demonstrate the importance of genetic considerations in the diagnosis and management of children with cancer.