Biologic functions of the genes responsible for familial cancer

Clinical and molecular genetic studies on human familial cancers have provided important information toward further understanding of the etiology of hereditary and sporadic cancer. Our next challenge is to determine how mutations involving this group of genes leads to functional changes in the cell causing malignant growth. This article summarizes some of the significant findings recently reported concerning the biologic function of the genes that are involved in hereditary cancer syndromes.