Clinical genetics and pediatric neoplasms: pathogenetic and etiologic perspectives

Clinical and genetic aspects of pediatric neoplasms were reviewed from pathogenetic and etiologic perspectives. Developmental principles and phenomena common to several tumors and tumor syndromes were identified, summarized, and critically evaluated. Their enumeration may be useful in future cancer research. No single hypothesis on the cause and pathogenesis of cancer appears to apply to all disorders. We believe that multiple causes and pathways lead to the phenotype "cancer" and that in particular the pathogenetic relationship between tissue dysplasias and cancers deserves increased attention.