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Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Author Spotlight: Finding New Therapeutic Targets for Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Through Genome-Scale shRNA Screens
Published on: August 25, 2023
On the Hunt for the Missed Genetic Causes of Multiple Primary Tumors
Fiona Chan-Pak-Choon1,2, William D Foulkes1,2
1Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Abstract:
Improved cancer screening and treatment programs have led to an increased survivorship of patients with cancer, but consequently also to the rise in number of individuals with multiple primary tumors (MPT). Germline testing is the first approach investigating the cause of MPT, as a positive result provides a diagnosis and proper clinical management to the affected individual and their family. Negative or inconclusive genetic results could suggest non-genetic causes, but are negative genetic results truly negative? Herein, we discuss the potential sources of missed genetic causes and highlight the trove of knowledge MPT can provide. See related article by Borja et al., p. 209.
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